APR/Mangrove: an employee's perspective

General Discussion
#1

So it’s been roughly 6 months since Mangrove asserted control over APR’s daily operations, after removing Stephen Hooks as CEO. Over this week I’ll be sharing with the community, insights into how certain individuals within APR feel about the transition and what their thoughts are on where the company is going. For now, I leave you with this:

http://i.imgur.com/PfTYbeG.png?1

#2

http://i.imgur.com/fGB0Rgz.png

http://i.imgur.com/Z7ZSc6N.png


http://i.imgur.com/5q2TEol.gif

http://i.imgur.com/s36xK7S.png

#3

So my buddy can get an APR tune on his sprinter van in the near future?!?!!

#4

Finance guys drive out the passion

http://i.imgur.com/X77dOjO.png?1

http://i.imgur.com/7N0IBcG.png?1

#5

[…]they have no vision or understanding of what to do…just a bunch of cash and a few rolls of the dice.

http://i.imgur.com/8dEXu6h.png

#6

[…]I’m fairly certain we’re down 9mil from last year

http://i.imgur.com/gWK8nHZ.png

#7

“You should see what the margins are on APR chili”

My sides. They hurt.

#8

“The recent chatter is not good for raising capital
It’s another stasis situation”

http://i.imgur.com/rOdlR3v.png

#9

whats copy take steal?

#10

“[…]I really thought APR would be different from Stasis…It’s soured the whole thing for me.”

http://i.imgur.com/iWQnGAG.png

“It’s [APR] like working at McDonald’s”
“The difference I see post-Stephen is a lack of emotional attachment to the brand.”

http://i.imgur.com/xk62Tg8.png

Gung Ho?

http://i.imgur.com/1fL4Ucq.png

PR firm told MG not to respond

http://i.imgur.com/et7C8Wj.png?1

#11

Are you seriously posting screen shots of anonymous people’s text messages, bitching about their new employer MG? Are you now the company’s unofficial grievance counselor?

MG needs to put up a sign on the front lawn: “Warning, People Trying to Make Money Inside”

Need a friend? Get a dog.

#12

1 employee.

The stasis references are never good.

This employee probably brings the most value to the company and his position and salary reflects that. High level information leaks are never good for a company, and that’s what we’ve seen over the past 6 months at APR.

#13

Info Leaks

So I thought I’d categorize a few of the leaks that were given to me by this employee. Now I am solely going to focus on what was written and not what was given verbally over the phone with the exception of the most recent “leak” as it’ll play into another point later.

Stolen 3.0t tune and downing of golfmk6

http://i.imgur.com/gwFhbPU.jpg

Bad S5 Stage 3 Supercharger Calibrations / R8 Supercharger issues

Bad S5 cal

http://i.imgur.com/z5UtQZh.png

Sarabi R8

http://i.imgur.com/21GLF1k.png

http://i.imgur.com/h4eDfM8.png

http://i.imgur.com/BaQqg78.png

http://i.imgur.com/I6LyciS.png

MK7 boost tap issues/pricing

http://i.imgur.com/OyEA54Z.png?1

http://i.imgur.com/Q3ge2gB.png

Software piracy

http://i.imgur.com/2luoRBn.png

Personnel changes
Richard

http://i.imgur.com/MO1PcVj.png

http://i.imgur.com/nBDXRzy.png

Stephen and Johnny

http://i.imgur.com/hplGpAT.png

http://i.imgur.com/gEuA6nZ.png

#14

RSC leak, details of exhaust program
Aside from making known the lack of RSC in early 2013, he assisted in making sure that the reveal was technically correct.

http://i.imgur.com/vPPT4OY.png

http://i.imgur.com/GRORBBd.png

http://i.imgur.com/GqpdSvv.png

(interesting comment about being bought out by a financial firm and “that’s when the smoke and mirrors began””

And that Corsa dropped APR

http://i.imgur.com/0kOroqi.png

Forewarning Keith Lucas of his termination

http://i.imgur.com/OuHLIxD.png

http://i.imgur.com/GzzQpF4.png

Calls indicating Keith’s imminent termination as well as Victor’s real function in Germany, both of which allowed Keith and the undisclosed company in EU to be prepared for Mark Lolley’s (APR CFO) arrival.

http://i.imgur.com/EdV8ezb.png

http://i.imgur.com/3jAEwSd.png

http://i.imgur.com/cySmpUV.png

#15

Well then…

#16

Does this guy have no fear of getting canned/sued? Can’t be that hard for Mangrove to identify him after all this. I don’t understand why he’s allowing you to post these text conversations.

#17

I’ll answer this tomorrow.

#18

sounds like he already left

I’m guessing this is the guy from EuroJet, who got bought by Stasis, who fucked the guy from EuroJet, who then got a job at APR via crew219

apparently APR needed a fabrication/sourcing/exhaust expert and they brought in the former EuroJet guy to basically design exhaust, source them made in China for cheap, and to sell them. Is his name Joel? Can’t remember.

Anyway, it looks like they brought him in, and planned to bail on the Corsa deal, but Corsa dumped APR first. Pretty funny.

Now it appears the guy has left APR based on the tone of those last few conversations. To that end, it explains why this stuff is now being posted, but still I reckon he’d be pretty furious with crew219. Maybe he fucked crew219 over because one thing I’ve learned with crew is

  1. he records/saves EVERYTHING
  2. if you fuck him over, he’s worse than Taylor Swift writing a mean song about you…and your shit will be made public real quick
#19

This makes me chuckle.

I’d argue that everyone saves as much as I do as 95% of it was all through iMessage. Just knowing how to search for keywords helps, not to mention this is someone who would message and call me on almost a daily basis so the amount of instances where he talks about APR are staggering. I should point out that one other person from APR and I chat, but we don’t talk about APR. If Joel didn’t want to talk about APR, all he would have to do is not bring it up.

#20

As Saki pointed out, the iMessages belong to Joel Schurtz, Director of their exhaust program, as well as Operations Engineering. Simply put, if APR makes it, most likely he had a hand in sourcing and sending it to the vendor. This means he pretty much knows the cost of every single item that is made at APR and has a good idea as to when it would be released.

The exhaust program isn’t what it originally was imagined to be. Yes, there always was a plan to use outsourced cast pieces, but bends were supposed to be done on an internal CNC mandrel bender. More importantly, Stephen wanted to purchase certain acoustical equipment which would allow them to create and test their own noise-cancellation designs. The mufflers would be more than the standard perforated core variety as they showcased in the AWD DP.

Here’s a pretty fun quote from after MG took over and plans changed from the original ones that Stephen set forth.

The person he’s explaining the acronyms to is MG. “Having it made” refers to the outsourcing of the entire piece.

http://i.imgur.com/txaSIpa.png

You can imagine how funny it was seeing their exhaust program release where they “showed off” all the equipment they purchased for the exhaust program (note, no mandrel bender)

http://i.imgur.com/8ud5UPe.jpg