Janelle Laster, a talent success manager at H-J Enterprises in High Ridge, was pleased with the number of candidates she met to fill roles in the rapidly expanding power distribution component manufacturing company during the Jefferson County Job Fair.
“We love this job fair specifically because we are here looking for people to join our production crew,” she said. “We are under a huge expansion at our facility. We are toward the middle to end of an 88,000-square-foot expansion. We will be adding another 100 employees over the next year. We are excited to be opening our fifth shift, and we will soon be running 24/7.
“The crowd was really good. We found people looking for manufacturing opportunities.”
About 200 people seeking career opportunities came to the ninth annual Jefferson County Job Fair at the Fox C-6 Service Center in Arnold. About 150 people seeking jobs attended last year’s event.
“It was great to see that many people attend, and that they feel the value of the job fair is there,” said Marjie Sammons, an Arnold Chamber of Commerce board member and job fair liaison.
Representatives from 27 businesses and organizations were at the fair seeking employees for a variety of positions.
“They were very pleased,” Sammons said of the business and organization representatives. “Several who I talked with said they received several good applications, and they felt they had some good candidates to follow up with another interview or to potentially hire. They were very positive with who they saw.”
Representatives from Jefferson College’s Workforce and Employment Services helped people seeking jobs with their resumes and social media profiles, and Jefferson County Library employees also provided information about resources to help people seeking a new job or career. Leader photographer Patty Meyer also took pictures for people to use for their social media profiles.
The job fair, which was first held in 2019, is sponsored by Leader Publications, the Fox C-6 School District, Jefferson College, city of Arnold, Arnold Chamber of Commerce and Jefferson County Library.
“The Jefferson County Job Fair continues to successfully connect multiple businesses and organizations with potential employees,” said Katelyn Mary Skaggs, Leader Publications advertising manager. “We had tons of qualified job seekers come out. Many of them noted they had an opportunity or interview lined up as they were leaving, which is what the job fair was all about.”
Sammons said those searching for employment came from Arnold, Fenton, Imperial, Hillsboro, Barnhart, Pevely,
De Soto, Festus, St. Louis County, Cedar Hill, High Ridge, House Springs, Crystal City, Byrnes Mill, Eureka and Herculaneum. She said there were people from as far away as Cape Girardeau at the fair.
Sammons said part of the fair’s success is that it allows representatives from businesses and organizations to meet candidates from a number of different areas in Jefferson County and the surrounding area.
“Any vendor who comes to the fair finds value because there are people from all over the area,” she said. “Within a good 100-mile radius, people are coming to the job fair because they know the vendors bring value and they have opportunities for employment. There are also the other things that we offer like the resume review and the photographs that are taken for free that they may use on their Instagram, Facebook page or whatever they want to do.”
Sherri Edwards, 60, of Arnold said she came to the fair seeking an executive assistant position. She said she recently stopped working for an accounting firm after 35 years.
“I stopped at a few tables that looked like they may need my experience,” Edwards said. “It is very nice. I have never attended one of these before, and I had to talk myself up a little bit before coming. It was very easy to talk with people.”
Brandon Militti, 28, of Oakville said he was seeking different career opportunities and growth opportunities. He said he currently works in a human resources position.
“I am looking for something in an office administration support role,” he said. “I think there was a good variety here from machine work, factory work and healthcare providers. I had good conversations with Compass Health and the Fox C-6 School District.
“It is really nice not to have to drive too far to meet a lot of different people.”
Samuel Stoddard, 30, of St. Louis County said he came to the fair after deciding to change career paths. He had worked at a call center.
“I have experience doing IT work and administrative work, and I have a degree in computer science,” he said. “I gave my resume to a few companies here, and I hope that I hear something back from them. There was a good mix of companies. There were some career fields that I was less interested in and some that I was more interested in. You have to talk to everyone to find the right position for you.”
Kelsey Koller, Aspiring Solutions executive director, said her company was seeking a direct support professional and transportation driver. Aspiring Solutions provides support for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
She said more people seeking jobs attended the fair than she expected.
“We ran out of job descriptions,” Koller said. “We’ve met a lot of potential candidates. We received their resumes. We also received some potential clients for our services, too. It was a win-win.”
Along with connecting people with possible employers, the job fair is a fundraising event for the Arnold Chamber of Commerce.
Peggy Scott, the Leader’s publisher, said the chamber will receive $2,500 for this year’s vendor fees and fair sponsorships.
The chamber has received a total of $26,500 from the fair since 2019.
“I thought this year went exceptionally well,” Sammons said. “I thought all of the participants were happy, and all of the vendors were pleased with their outcomes.”
