Published: November 19, 2008 03:45 pm         

Groups plan job fair Friday

Thirteen companies expected to attend

In response to recent layoffs in the area, three Stillwater organizations have teamed up to put together a job fair.

Workforce Oklahoma, the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and Meridian Technology Center planned the manufacturing job fair, which will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday in the Center for Business Development at MTC, 1414 S. Sangre. The Ponca City Development Authority also helped secure some of the 13 companies expected to attend.

“We are just trying to give people who lost their jobs every opportunity that’s out there,” said Josh McKim, the Chamber’s director of economic development. “We want those who want to work to find a job. It was put together pretty quickly.”

Businesses confirmed for the event are Advance Foods (Enid), Correction Corporation of America (Cushing), Dish Network, Ditch Witch (Perry), Encompass Tool and Machine (Enid), Express Employment Professionals, Frontier Electronic Systems, Mertz Manufacturing (Ponca City), Precision Tool and Die (Ponca City), Smith Technologies, Sykes Enterprises (Ponca City), Star Tek (Enid) and TPI Staffing.

“A lot of these employers have positions for people who did jobs like they did at National Standard (which recently laid off 65),” said Sherrain Steele, workforce specialist for Workforce Oklahoma. “We tell people to bring numerous copies of their résumé, dress for an interview and that Meridian is a non-smoking campus. They can’t take a break and go outside and smoke.”

Tawny Dotson, director of strategic communications for Meridian, said the school is also hosting a hotel and lodging fair from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday in the Skywalk, 1312 S. Sangre.

“We recognized an increased need for jobs in both industries,” Dotson said. “There are five hotels going up in the Stillwater area over the next year or two. That has created a need for 400 or 500 jobs to be filled. With manufacturing, there have been some recent layoffs and an increase in needs for specific skill sets.”

She said there had been some logistical issues putting the manufacturing fair together, because it was done quickly, but they were glad to get everything worked out.

“What is most important to us is that people have jobs and get to stay in Oklahoma,” Dotson said.

For more information, visit www.meridian-technology.com or call Workforce Oklahoma at 624-1450.

     

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