The John Ryan Tale Of Woe And Misfortune
Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Tales of even more woe at John Ryan reach us. This company, more than any other we have ever dealt with, has more unhappy, thoroughly upset alumni who still manage to care PASSIONATELY about the business (and bottom line are pissed-off on how THEY see it being mismanaged and seemingly / allegedly run into the ground).
Everyone it seems who passes through the ever revolving door that is John Ryan has the same tail to tell us; digital signage offerings that are a total mess and a lack of discipline around software development compounded by poor management.
Allegedly, they’ve been trying to get their newest software out to the market proper for the past three years and we keep hearing that it’s still not ready, supposedly very buggy and still pretty unstable.
It’s safe to say that John Ryan has been promising customers new features and new releases for ages and this inability to deliver (due surely to the lack of control of their development resource?) has their remaining customers very nervous and no doubt considering alternatives.
The sole developer of their legacy software and the new platform is of course Gary Madgwick, who lives in the UK and is most probably the only person who really knows how it works. That cannot be good.
We also heard that their last US based IT Director didn’t last 6 months before he was gone in mid-November 2011.
January 14th, 2012 at 03:11 @174
Is anyone even mildly surprised about this story? The only question in my mind: when will John Ryan himself show up to assert, without evidence, that this story is nothing but scuttlebutt.
January 27th, 2012 at 03:14 @176
I guess it’s fair to say that I qualify as one of John Ryan’s unhappy, thoroughly upset alumni. I worked there for several years before finally coming to my senses and leaving – but not without a lot of scars and horror stories to share. I’ve worked a lot of places and none are as poorly managed as John Ryan.
The place has truly become a joke. The only people still there are those who either can’t or haven’t yet gotten a job anywhere else! Anybody with half a brain left long ago. Not only was the new IT Director in and out in under 6 months, I understand the two new strategists they brought in last year are already out as well. No surprise there either. I don’t think they’ve gotten any new business in years and I can’t imagine how they’re even holding onto the clients they do have.
The only surprise in what you’ve written is that they’re still alive! That is the most amazing thing to all of us ex-employees. Just how long can they limp along?!
January 28th, 2012 at 02:39 @152
I hate to disappoint you all, but John Ryan is doing better than we have in many years.
The people who are still there are the people who believe they can make a difference. Who believe, fundamentally, in what we do and the vision we have.
As for the new IT Director, sometimes people don’t fit in jobs they get hired for. Sometimes it just isn’t there forte. Did you ever think of that? It isn’t necessarily a reflection on the company. People come and go.
You should check your facts on clients as well.
February 1st, 2012 at 13:35 @608
Good on you then. Just keep drinking the Kool-Aid. It’s the only way to survive there and still be able to look at yourself in the mirror. Believe me, I know.
February 18th, 2012 at 17:36 @775
This is hilarious. Didn’t the last strategy/sales guy who joined John Ryan (I can’t remember his name, but there was a post about him on the board) jump onto one of these threads to claim that the company was doing as well as ever?! Wonder how long the current poster will be around…
Seriously though, my gues is that the tales of demise are exaggerated, just like the claims of success/growth are. This place will probably keep plugging along at its current pace for a long time, but it also won’t ever get bigger.
It’s a minor league organization that occasionally fools a major league talent into joining for a few years, but ultimately goes back to being minor league.