Pros
Grand Rapids is a great place to raise a family. The community is very nice to be around, and the recreation opportunities (skiing, beaches, water recreation [even surfing], camping, fishing) are among the best in the country. If you like a change of seasons (especially snow), this is the location for you. There are many cultural activities too (ArtPrize, festival of the arts).
Cons
This GE location was acquired from Smiths Industries in 2007, and the mentality has not changed much. Locally, there is poor management at this GE location, The "Good 'ol Boy Network" is firmly entrenched here, and unless you are among the chosen few, you can expect poor advancement opportunities, poor raises and poor personal development opportunities, Image and exposure to managers counts for everything; performance is almost totally ignored. The bottom line comes first all the way up to the CEO. If you make a mistake, you will pay for it (unless you are higher-up in the organization, then you get a promotion). It is run by "bean counters" who have forgotten that without any engineers to gather the "beans", there would be no "beans" to count.
