HAZLETON — For those looking for work there are jobs available in the Hazleton area and beyond.
Employers and educational institutions from five counties participated in the fifth annual Great Northeast Job Fair held Wednesday in the Thomas J. Caccese Gymnasium on the Penn State University Hazleton campus.
There was a wide variety of vendors there, heavily weighted by distribution operations, personnel firms and medical concerns — from Scranton, Pine Grove and Berwick — and elsewhere.
Rebecca Reynolds, classified advertising manager for Times-Shamrock Communications — the parent company of the co-sponsors of the fair, the Standard-Speaker and the The Republican-Herald newspapers — said this year’s fair set a record for the number of vendors.
“We have 62 vendors. Last year we had 54,” Reynolds said.
This was the first year the fair was held at Penn State. It was moved there because it had outgrown its previous venue, Capriotti’s Palazzo outside of McAdoo.
John Patton, the Standard-Speaker’s general manager, said Capriotti’s served as an ideal venue because of its geographic location between the two newspapers.
One vendor who liked the new location was Marianne Howarth of Workforce Resources.
“It’s nice because there’s a lot of room,” Howarth said. “I like the job fairs in Hazleton because I feel it is good for the community.”
Workforce Resources was one of the many personnel firms at the fair, hiring for its two offices in West Hazleton and Pottsville.
“We are doing a lot of hiring,” Howarth said. “West Hazleton needs forklift operators with five years-plus experience, and we are looking for solid production workers and distribution people. Pottsville is doing a massive hiring for FabCon. These are very high-paying positions. People can call Pottsville at 570-622-8060.”
FabCon manufactures precast concrete products, including wall panels, highway and traffic barriers, and wind turbines.
One of the distribution firms present was Romark, which is located along Route 924 near the entrance to the Humboldt Industrial Park.
Holly Courter, the firm’s human resources specialist, said the firm needs more people as it grows.
“We are looking for quality warehouse associates, and associates and team leaders for co-packing operation,” Courter said. “Besides warehousing products, we also do secondary packaging of food-grade items. We want to hire some quality associates because we are adding positions. We are growing by leaps and bounds.”
While Romark prefers some packaging experience — and employees need to be able to lift and work overtime — they will train, Courter said.
“We have the ability to train,” she said. “We have a trainer who works with associates one-on-one, and we have the equipment to be able to train people pretty well.”
Rebecca Urban was at the fair looking for a job because she just moved to the area from Coatesville, Chester County.
“I’m looking for anything that’s going to be available, with my child and when he goes to day care,” Urban said. “I have 10 years experience in retail.”
Another job seeker was Dean Herrmann, White Haven, who wants to put his sales experience to use.
“I’ve sold everything from time shares to sheds, to radio advertising,” Herrmann said.
Schuylkill County was well represented.
Solar Innovations, a Pine Grove custom manufacturer of glass enclosures and door and window systems, including skylights, conservatories, greenhouses and retractable roofs or “any type of glass product that is either fixed or has movement to it,” Melissa Cramer, human resources manager said. She said the firm is looking to fill 15 to 20 positions.
“We have a wide variety of positions available,” Cramer said. “We handle the entire life cycle of our product. We have positions in sales, estimating, project management, drafting and engineering. We also have positions in our production facility for fabricators, different assemblers and different machinists.”
The firm’s biggest need right now is field installation.
“It’s a great opportunity for candidates to specialize and learn a trade and travel,” she said.
There are no set criteria for someone to meet when being considered for a job, Cramer said.
“We look at a wide variety of backgrounds,” she said. “We look at education and work experience. We consider candidates who have worked in our industry, and those who have worked outside our industry. We are very open when it comes to backgrounds.”
Reynolds Packaging, which manufactures garbage bags at a plant in the Tidewood East Industrial Park in Hometown, is looking for entry positions and machine operators.
“They have to be willing to work every other weekend, 12-hour shifts,” Javier Guzman, the plant’s shift supervisor, said. “They have to be able to lift up to 50 pounds. They have to come to work and have a lot of energy. Safety is our number one priority.”
Hollander Sleep Products, which manufactures mattresses in the Frackville Industrial Park, is looking for second-shift production workers, as well as maintenance and supervisory personnel.
“We will train, but previous manufacturing experience is a plus,” Leslie Stankavage, the company rep, said.