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Thousands line up in Fairlawn for shot at up to 200 positions. Turnout exceeds expectations
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Nov 22, 2008
FAIRLAWN: The line of prospective workers snaked its way about 200 yards through the lobby of the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn on Friday.
It wound its way down a hallway of rooms, around the corner into a covered walkway to the hotel's west wing and down another hall toward an exit.
At its peak, an estimated 400 people stood in the line. The vast majority of them were white. Most were men. Nearly all wore their Sunday best.
The hassles of standing and waiting and methodically marching forward were forgotten as candidates reached the doors to the Grand Ballroom's Fairlawn Room and Bekaert Room. Each step had brought them closer to their goal: finding a job.
Waiting inside the rooms were groups from seven divisions at J.M. Smucker Co. who were there to conduct interviews.
The first Smucker's Professional Career Fair aimed to locally fill 150 to 200 jobs, a majority of which were created by the acquisition of Folgers. The lure of jobs kept about 2,000 people streaming through the doors of the hotel all day. Most applicants waited from a half hour to an hour, with some waiting longer at peak times.
They showed up a day after the federal government reported that the number of people filing new claims for unemployment soared to a 16-year high, and that the number of unemployed Americans was at the highest level in more than 25 years.
It was also the same day that Ohio reported that the state unemployment rate edged up to 7.3 percent in October
from 7.2 percent in September.
''I was optimistic when I got here at 8 a.m., and I'm optimistic leaving,'' Uniontown resident Lance Dillow said at about 11 a.m. He said he was caught in a downsizing at Con-way Freight earlier this year.
''This [2,000 people] was pretty much what I expected considering the area we live in and the economy.
''But I think Smucker's is a special place — I have it targeted in the top three places to work. It's such a great place to work that I'll bet half the people here probably should be at the job they have right now.''
Friday's turnout thrilled Maribeth Badertscher, a 20-year employee of the Orrville company who helped coordinate the event.
''We knew we were going to have a lot of people based on the phone calls we'd been getting recently at the corporate office,'' she said. ''But to get this many quality people definitely has exceeded what we expected. So much so that we had to order extra handouts in the afternoon.
''I think it's a sign of the times and reflects the fact that, unfortunately, there aren't a lot of opportunities like what we're presenting available to people in this area.''
Optimistic crowd
Stephanie Hovanic was somewhat of an aberration among the masses. Hovanic, a Walsh University senior, brought an omnipresent smile and youthful exuberance, unjaded by the fact she never has been laid off.
''I'm just trying to get started in a sales career when I graduate next spring,'' said Hovanic, a Warren native. ''I've heard it's a tough time right now, especially in sales.
''But I think I've got a lot going for me. My entire family is in sales, so I have an idea of what's going on. I know actual experience helps, but I'm confident I can make up for it with fresh ideas from a person just out of college.''
Brenda Radford and her daughter, both of Creston, came to the Hilton with the hope they both could land jobs with Smucker's and work together again.
They had driven together, lunched together and worked together at Rubbermaid in Wooster for a decade before Brenda's finance division relocated to North Carolina last summer without her.
Radford said that although she's out of work, she's not ready to worry.
''I'm not discouraged because I wasn't laid off and it's actually nice to have had a nice little break,'' said Radford, who had worked for Rubbermaid for 21 years. ''I'm not as worried about not having a job as I am about the economy and how it is affecting my 401(k).
''Coming here today has been very interesting,'' Radford said. ''I'm wondering to myself, 'Are all of these people unemployed?' When you think of it in those terms, then you might begin to worry a little bit.''
The fact that Smucker's has an excellent reputation — Fortune Magazine in 2004 ranked it the No. 1 company to work for — was not lost on the candidates.
Another factor is that it's the food industry, Dillow said.
''People always are going to have to eat,'' he said, ''so it's basically recession-proof.
''It was really a no-brainer to come here, spend the time and hope for the best. I'm hoping I get a call, which would be the best thing that could happen to me.''
About 2,000 others probably feel the same way.
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
FAIRLAWN: The line of prospective workers snaked its way about 200 yards through the lobby of the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn on Friday.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 09:14 AM, 11/22/2008
I hope they served peanut butter & jelly sandwiches to the masses. If not that, then Crisco sandwiches with Mrs Olson handing out cups of Folgers in tin cups would suffice.
I wish good luck to the thousands who waited in line for a hundred jobs. Governor Strickland are you watching? I wonder how long it will be before Smuckers moves to Texas or Alabama, or worse yet Mexico for better tax rates.
I must say though, Jelly is where the money is. I started canning the sweet delights as fast as humanly possible. Apple butter and jelly everywhere. Bees attacking my kitchen. My shoes sticking to the floor. Darn, it's hard to earn a dollar nowadays.
Posted 11:54 AM, 11/22/2008
ABJ you kill me. No humor allowed. What is with you guys, afraid to smile. You Democrats ought to be cheering.
Well, let us see if happiness is confused with hate.
Posted 01:05 PM, 11/22/2008
Aha! It returns. Oh isn't life fun.
Posted 08:20 PM, 11/22/2008
Its funny you republicans keep blaming Strickland while it has been under your watch including in the general assembly where republicans have been under control. What kind of tax plan would you like, have it be all sales taxes, sorry but that only works in areas that attract a lot of tourism eg. Florida, Texas, Tennessee. If we used stictly sales taxes they would have to be so high people would go to neighboring states to buy things.