Employers and event organizers said Monday’s job fair at the Pike County JobSight workforce center exceeded all expectations by attracting nearly 200 people seeking jobs with 26 of the Big Sandy region’s top employers.

Representatives of those businesses personally accepted applications at the event, which was organized by the Pike County JobSight workforce center and the Big Sandy Area Community Action Program. From 1 until 5:30 p.m., a steady flow of prospective employees came to the JobSight—located in the Pikeville Campus of Big Sandy Community and Technical College—to file applications and talk face-to-face with employers.

Jim Stewart, a Business Services representative at the JobSight, said he was “very pleased” with the turnout of applicants and the caliber of employers who participated in the event.

“The whole key is having good employers, and we feel we had them here,” Stewart said, adding the assistance of JobSight partners like the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training also helped draw the large crowd.

“All the employers told us they got very qualified applicants,” Stewart continued, “and the applicants told us they were pleased with the range of employers we had. Both sides of the workforce equation get a win at an event like this.”

Theresa Maynard, a human resources representative for Community Trust Bank, admitted she was “covered up” with applications from people who visited the multi-state banking corporation’s booth.

“We got 42 applications today, and that’s definitely more than I expected,” she said. “I’d rather have too many than not enough, and a lot of them are from really qualified applicants.”

Maynard pinpointed the one-on-one interaction she had with applicants as her favorite aspect of the job fair.

“I really like that we got the opportunity to talk more to the applicants, see what their backgrounds are, and ask them what they’re looking for in a job with us,” Maynard said. “An event like this presents a much better opportunity for those kind of exchanges than back at the office.”

Elmer Howard, director of Human Resources for Excel Mining, agreed.

“We found some quality people today just from the chit-chat we had with them,” Howard said.

The majority of the 17 people who filed applications with Howard were experienced underground coal miners, and that is exactly the kind of worker his company needs at its Pike County operations, he said.

“I’d say more than half of the applicants we found here will be good candidates for interviews and jobs,” Howard said. “We’d definitely take part in a JobSight job fair again if the opportunity is there.”

In addition to Community Trust Bank and Excel Mining, participating employers also included Premier Elkhorn Coal, Sidney Coal, Clintwood Elkhorn Coal, Halliburton, Chesapeake Energy, Lowe’s, Securitas Security Services USA, Applebee’s, Wendy’s, ACS, CDG Management, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Appalachian Wireless, Home Care Health Services, East Kentucky Expo Center, Kentucky Coal Academy, Speedway Super America, WestCare, SCORE, K-Mart, Big Sandy Community and Technical College, Appalachian Regional Healthcare, WYMT-TV, Avon, and Food City.

Jennifer Thacker, JobSight Services manager for the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP), said she considers Monday’s event among the most successful job fairs organized by the JobSight workforce network.

“This absolutely is one of the best job fairs we’ve ever had in terms of serving multiple, large-scale employers,” Thacker said. “Our goal is to find jobs for people, and people for jobs, and I feel this event will definitely accomplish that.”

For more information about services offered at the Pike County JobSight, contact Jim Stewart at 606-218-2106, or visit www.jobsight.org.

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The Pike County JobSight is part of the JobSight network of workforce centers administered in 23 eastern Kentucky counties by the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP). At JobSight's one-stop workforce centers, job seekers and employers can access over a dozen state and federal employment and training programs and employer services in a single location.