Web Parts: Inside the Job Bust

I’d like to thank Mia Brantley for granting permission to republish an essay that she wrote about her experience working Web Parts, LLC (the quite dead Job Bust where the owner has bailed out of town). Mia’s an excellent writer and I’m glad to feature her story here on SouthsideCentral.

I worked for Web Parts for almost a year. I left a good job where I was happy, hoping to get a piece of the American dream he was selling with the City’s blessing.

Mainland claims that his business failed for lack of skilled employees, however, not during that time I worked for him, nor at any time after did Mainland place an advertisement for a job opening as a programmer or even an IT tech. In fact, I was hired as a programmer and never once during the time I worked for him was I asked or required to write a single line of code. There was no reason to write any!

His business plan(s) (plural – as it was always changing and never viable) did not require that kind of skilled labor, only people capable of doing data entry. There are PLENTY of people here capable of doing data entry, and instead he chose to utilize global employees he could pay far less than minimum wage.

In addition, there was a point where he was required by the city to create a Jobs Board website. I was hired having worked in web design for a decade at Averett University. Instead he gave the task to a junior employee who had never designed a website in his life. The site was not delivered. In fact, it was never completed. He naturally blamed the junior employee for ‘poor job performance’ when the deadline passed, was extended, and then passed again without anything to show.

I will stop just short of calling him a liar, but with my own eyes and my own experience there, I could see he had little interest and absolutely no impetus to hire anyone with programming skills. Even after I left in April of last year, I never saw in print or online a single ad for a job at Web Parts. I sincerely doubt, if pressed, he could come up with a receipt or proof that he ever placed one. Unless I am terribly mistaken, even the most skilled and motivated programmer won’t apply for a job he/she doesn’t know exists.

I saw through him long before the rest, unfortunately it was still too late to save my career or the hopes of the unfortunates who continued in his employ until he cut and ran. I know you are never supposed to say bad things about a former employer, but I am shouting this from the rooftops now and evermore in the hopes that he won’t be able to pull this stunt again. Too many good and innocent people were left holding the bag for someone who enjoyed living the good life on Danville’s dime. The truth needs to be told.