“It was a busy day from the start,” said Business Service Representative Tim Zipoy with Central Minnesota Jobs & Training Services. “There wasn’t necessarily a slow time, except for that last half hour when businesses are anxious to get out of there.”

 

Job seekers made their way from booth to booth, talking with business representatives, asking questions and some filling out applications.

“The flow has been good this year,” said Elaina Weide, business manager with Options, Inc. in Big Lake.

 

Options was looking to fill fulltime and part-time positions for job coaches.

 

“They support adults with disabilities,  serving as that liaison at the job enclaves we contract with and helping the adults to be independent,” she said. “It’s been really great. We had a lot of good applicants. There’s been a lot of interest from people.”

 

Scott Sypnieski, owner of Authority Fence & Deck in Clearwater, was hoping to fill three positions, two laborers and another to work with him installing decks. He found two right away.

 

“Two young men were here early asking questions. They were walking away and I said, where you going?” he said. “I said if you want to work, stand here and talk to me.”

 

He said they were both interested in working, so Sypnieski told them he had spots for them.

 

“You came to the right place, I told them,” he said.

 

T.O. Plastics in Clearwater was looking for production workers, machine operators, forklift operators, supervisors and engineers. 

 

“We like it when it’s a constant flow,” said Elaina Weide with Human Resources at T.O. “It’s been steady so far.

 

“We’re always looking for people to work on the production floor - anyone motivated and looking for a career,” said Julia Nguyen. “We do hire entry level, no experience needed and then we train them.”

 

T.O. has weekly tours of the facility where people can see the operation in action.

 

“We invite people to come in and check us out before they commit to applying for a job with us,” said Nguyen.

 

Zipoy said he had positive comments from job seekers and business throughout the event.

 

“We had a good mix of businesses and a good mix of jobs, some for young people some for people in their middle career and those looking to finish their careers,” he said.

 

Zipoy said the Career Force (formerly Workforce) Center booth was a valuable asset for people

 

“So many people learned more about the resources available to them through the Career Force Center they didn’t know about before,” he said.

 

“I saw people we see here at the Career Force Center that were struggling with their job search, struggling to  get past electronic applications. Here they have this chance to make face-to-face contact and connect in a real time way with potential jobs. It was uplifting for people. I could feel it in the room and  could see it on faces.”

 

Although 320 job seekers isn’t a record, it is a reflection of the current economy, said Zipoy. Jobs are more plentiful, so fewer people attended.

 

But it was a valuable experience for those who took the time to attend.

 

“If we helped one person, rather than 320 it makes it all worthwhile,” said Zipoy. “If we help one business rather than 73, it was a good day.”