It’s that time of year when I sit in my office, slaving away over budgets for the next fiscal year and finishing up mind numbing performance reviews that I always begin to procrastinate by checking out the websites of small businesses and organizations in Charlottesville that I fantasize about working for. Some of my personal favorites are Blue Moon Fund and GreenBlue, both of which I imagine would fulfill my conflicting desire to “do good” while still holding a challenging professional career that makes pretty good money (all without having to get a law or medical degree - I never said it was a reasonable dream). I’ve also been eyeing the Southern Enviornmental Law Center, but that may be difficult with my no law school requirement.
Are there other businesses I should add to this list of “wow - this is based in Charlottesville?” - even if it isn’t do-gooder, I still think it’s amazing to see just how many hedge funds are based in our little hamlet, for example. Also, does anyone out there work for these elusively ideal companies - feel free to either rub it in my face about how much you look forward to getting up every morning, or assure me that you in fact covet my anonymous position in a “highly matrixed multinational marketing organization.”
So I guess what I’m asking it, what are the best places to work in Charlottesville, my fellow villains?
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Tagged as: Central Virginia, Charlottesville, Jobs, Local Business, Questions
Spicy Bear Media!
Other places I’ve heard good things about are:
Hanover Research Council
Blue Ridge Outdoors
Seriously though, your best bet is to find a small firm that doesn’t have all that corporate BS. It’s much better, trust me.
SNL Financial treats its people well. Best job I’ve ever had in this town.
I agree with Thor. Think small. Large corporations (almost irrespective of what that corporation is in the business of doing) take their marching orders from far off lands run by boards of directors and stockholders, and are not in the habit of thinking or caring about their employees. It’s all about the bottom line. Employees tend to be thought of as completely fungible; a replaceable, bottomless commodity. I’m not saying that every large corporation is necessarily evil; just that odds are higher that catering to stockholders will always win out over creating one of those fun Google-style workplaces. There’s a reason everyone knows what it’s like to work at Google. It’s so completely unlike working for almost any other successful corporate entity that it makes news for being different.
Think smaller. You’re also more likely to stand out if your success is their success.
Thor and ThatGrrl - I completely agree with your notion, but I need names! (I understand that listing places could be a way of inadvertently outing oneself, so throw in a few ringers or places where friends work and don’t hate it.)
I find myself looking at the random signs in second floor office off the mall and then trying to Google them upon return to my desk - does a comprehinsive list of businesses downtown exist? (I tried the chanber of comerce, but those are largely merchant-style businesses and I’m not looking to be demoted to retail.)
thor is right, blue ridge outdoors is premier. get some:
http://charlottesville.craigslist.org/med/490072543.html
http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com
Lys, I’m afraid that I don’t have any specific places to recommend. However, I might be able to help a little with a listing of downtown businesses: http://www.downtowncharlottesville.net/membership_sub2.html
The Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville. I’m sure it’s not completely comprehensive or exhaustive, but it’s a start!
Lys
- unless your wealthy enough to pay for law/med school yourself - I’d advise against it. School debt and do-gooder jobs are (almost) mutually exclusive
- I concur with the small business route. Align yourself with a good entrepreneur. I don’t know your skillset, but Silverchair is a growing organization with very talented leadership
- Consider striking out on your own. Start your own business.
- OR you could join my new start-up, the Virginia Toilet Guild. We sell subscriptions to “the best bathroom reviews on the net” (NYTimes).
oh yeah, i forgot. anything toilet-related is pure gold. because, who doesn’t use the toilet? it’s the future of the internet.
C-VILLE Weekly is the best small business to work for in Charlottesville…without question!
I’ve been performing stand-up comedy for years, hoping it would eventually bring in some money. But if you fail, your company outlay is for pencils, paper and a taperecorder. And beers at Baja Bean. I figure it’s a lot less than the money laid out if a restaurant fails.
Ed. That wasnt very funny.
Ed,
Who around here has stand-up?
The Baja Bean has open mic. on mondays, except for christmas week, Rapunzel’s in lovingston has open mic. once a month…every couple of months/funnyvbones in Richmond…
Funnybones in richmond/ every two months…openmic./baja Bean/mondays…Rapunzel’s in lovingston/every third friday of each month has open mic./Yeah, most people play music…
Hey Belmont.. you out there. I can’t resist….
Ed… I think I know your sister Lil. And I met your brother Back on a construction site a while back.
Ed, aren’t your cousins Land and Tally working as actors? I think I saw them in some Errol Flynn movies.
BYO needs to come back. I miss him.
Ed’s sister, Nappy-Headed, made a guest appearance on the Don Imus show last year, right before he got canned.
Mm’kay, I’m done.
Nice one, Minty. You continue to impress.
The Division of Perceptual Studies at UVa is quite interesting and most people don’t know that little house on Wertland has such intriguing research going on. Check out the types of stuff they study (near death experience, paranormal, out of body, apparitions, etc):
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/personalitystudies/case_types.cfm
I tried to get access to their library once by calling but you have to be either a student in their program or work there. Apparently it is world renown. Who wouldn’t want to work there!
cbob.. wow this one seems like it deserves a post on it’s own. does anyone know anything else about this place? I would love to get the deets before the hook or c-ville does an actual story on it.
The Hook did an article on Ian Stevenson who started it (I believe) not long ago when he passed away:
http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2007/02/12/uvas-past-life-expert-stevenson-dies
I have to give props to SNL Financial as well. I started out in this town working for a VERY small company (less than 10 employees) doing something that looked amazing on paper and was a lot of fun for not a lot of money. Now I’m doing something fairly menial and low-stress in comfortable clothes for twice as much money. Win!
oh, and they don’t seem to mind my cVillian lurking!