Local job fair attracts 68 applicants

Employers throughout Pinal County set up booths Tuesday at the Global Water Resource Center to seek people seeking jobs.

The guest list included Frito-Lay, Fry’s, Harrah’s, Francisco Grande, Abbott, Maricopa Union School District, inmaricopa.com, Price Industries, Manpower and more (see “Need work? Attend the upcoming job fair”).

Most were offering positions in nearby areas including Casa Grande, with the exception of inmaricopa.com and the school district which both offered jobs in Maricopa.

One job seeker, Darren Bollinger of Maricopa, said he was looking to find a job closer to home.

“I will take a pay cut to get something closer, just to make up for the time and gas I waste commuting every day,” Bollinger said.

The four-hour event attracted 68 applicants.

“I’d say the event was a success, even though we didn’t have a lot of people show up,” said Dan Meehan, who coordinated the event for the Arizona Workforce Connection.

The Arizona Workforce Connection is a state program under the auspices of the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

Jerri Moore, an employment service coordinator with Arizona Workforce Connection, said there is more to evaluating the success of a job fair than the numbers. In this case, Moore said, employers reported that the quality of all 68 applicants was outstanding.

She also praised Global Water for being a good coroporate citizen by providing its facility for the free event, one she’d like to see repeated quarterly in Maricopa.

For information call Jerri Moore at (520) 426-3529 or send email to [email protected].

Photo by Michael K. Rich