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Work in Gypsum Job Fair slated for Sept. 7 at Gypsum Town Hall

If you go ...

What: Work in Gypsum Job Fair.

When: 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept 7

Where: Gypsum Town Hall, 50 Lundgren Blvd., Gypsum.

Cost: Free.

More information: Local employers will be on site to meet with job seekers. Come dressed to impress and bring lots of resumes. To learn more, call the Edwards Workforce center at 970-926-4440 or email edwards@state.co.us.

Participating employers

The following businesses and organizations will participate in the Work in Gypsum Job Fair on Sept. 7:

• American Gypsum

• AutoZone

• Casey Concrete

• Colorado Mountain Express

• Colorado Mountain News Media

• Costco

• Dish Network

• Dominos (Gypsum)

• Eagle County Government

• Eagle County Schools

• FedEx Ground

• The Gallegos Corp.

• Go Rentals

• Gypsum Fire Protection District (looking for volunteers)

• Heidi’s Deli

• Mountain Beverage Co.

• Town of Gypsum

• Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

• UPS

• Vail Valley Jet Center

• White Horse Solutions

• White Water Express Car Wash

Editor’s note: Visit this article at http://www.vail daily.com for a list of employers participating in the Work in Gypsum Job Fair.

GYPSUM — With Eagle County reporting unemployment figures at 1.9 percent, the town of Gypsum, Colorado Workforce Center, Mountain Careers and Gypsum Chamber of Commerce are teaming up to help local businesses find employees with a job fair event planned Thursday, Sept. 7, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Gypsum Town Hall.

The most recent Colorado Department of Labor & Employment figures show the July seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate at 2.5 percent, which means local employers are feeling the squeeze of a tight labor market. Over the past month, 23 Gypsum-based employers have signed on to jointly market their local job and career opportunities to qualified workers at the job fair.



“Interest in a joint-hiring event like this has been tremendous,” said Mellanee Montgomery, an employment specialist with the Colorado Workforce Center in Edwards. “Business owners, managers and potential workers have all told me how excited they are to participate. The community just seems to have a knack for building simple, collaborative partnerships that benefit both residents and local businesses.”

Initially, it was new business activity — specifically, the forthcoming opening of a new UPS distribution center in Gypsum — that spurred conversations between Montgomery and Gypsum Economic Development Director Jeremy Rietmann. They talked about creating a custom hiring event to help UPS get staffed up in time for the heavy winter retail delivery season. UPS will be hiring for package handlers, delivery drivers, helpers and part-time management.

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Once the conversation between the workforce center and town officials began, it became obvious that it made more sense to produce a community-wide job fair to increase the diversity and quantity of jobs being offered and to attract a wider pool of qualified candidates to shop openings.

“As we spoke with local businesses and took into consideration the low overall local unemployment rate, a community- wide job fair just made sense” Rietmann said. “Many businesses here in Gypsum are looking for qualified employees, either for seasonal or ongoing needs, and this gives our residents an opportunity to find work, supplement existing employment or consider new employment options that might allow them to work a little closer to home.”

Gypsum Chamber of Commerce is lending support by recruiting business and job seeker participation. Mountain Careers and the workforce center will staff collaboration stations offering access to on-site human resources professionals dedicated to helping job seekers brush up their resumes, their interview skills or their LinkedIn profiles.


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