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September 16, 2016

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The scratching of pens could be heard as rows of people hunched over on any flat space they could find at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center worked to hurriedly fill out a handful of applications, finishing one and beginning another.

Nearly 450 people filled the civic center for the twice-a-year Caldwell is Hiring event, organized by the Caldwell County Economic Development Commission in conjunction with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute along with NCWorks, in hopes of finding a job or starting a career.

As people bustled around the room to speak with applicants, the veterans of the event could often be picked out among the nervous first-timers.

Malissa Hooper, 23, of Lenoir was one such first-timer. Pushing around a stroller holding her 3-year-old son, Corbin, she slowly made her way around the room, stopping at almost every single employer’s table. Hooper has been unemployed since June and came hoping to find more stable work than the past job she has held at gas stations and fast food restaurants.

“I’m trying to get my foot in the door somewhere,” Hooper said, adding that in the past she has worked at places where it was convenient to find a job, but now she wants something more. She dropped out of Hibriten High School one month before graduation, a choice she said she made up for by earning her adult education diploma from CCC&TI in 2014.

“I also want a chance to find my own place and get my own things, especially for him,” Hooper said, nodding to her son, who will be starting school next year.

“I was really excited and kind of hoping I would get something out of it (the event),” she said of her feeling going into it. “I hope this is a new beginning.”

Another attendee hoping for a new start was Teresa Harrison, 56, of Hickory. She has a job in Conover but wants to find a job in Lenoir and move back. This year was her third time attending the event.

Ambition was not something Harrison was lacking: She woke at 4 a.m.

“I wanted to get here early enough so I was the first one in the door,” Harrison said, and she arrived at 6 a.m., two and half hours before the doors opened.

Harrison said the event seemed well organized and a great way to find a job.

“I’m just grateful they have this, very grateful,” she said.

As far as those going into hiring events, she advised to get there early, take time to talk to employers, and don’t apply for a job unless you know it’s something you want.

Unlike Harrison, Jonathan Pope, 30, had never been to the hiring event and was a little nervous.

“I’m having trouble finding something right now,” Pope said. “Being unemployed and stuff, I feel like I need to perform to stay afloat.”

Even if he doesn’t find a job from the experience, Pope said he would still be thankful for the opportunity to connect and network with potential employers.

Brandy Dunlap, the director of job services at CCC&TI, said there is usually a pretty event split among attendees between those who are employed an those who aren’t.

“We had a real nice steady flow,” said Dunlap, who is also the center manager for Caldwell County’s office of NCWorks, a state agency that tries to help job-seekers and employers. “The employers upstairs seem to be really pleased with the applicants.”

The next Caldwell is Hiring will take place in the spring.

By Brian Adhikusuma, (Lenoir) News-Topic

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September 14, 2016

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There is now just one more day before one of the best hiring events this year takes place!

The 13th Caldwell is Hiring will feature 49 companies offering a total of more than 1,800 jobs on Thursday, September 15 from 8:30 a.m. until noon at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir.

Here is a list of the companies, with the number of jobs available in parenthesis:

Labor Connections (57); Caldwell UNC Health Care (43); Bemis (16); ProStaffing (85); Fairfield Chair (7); N.C. Department of Public Safety (110); Heritage Home Group (50); Bottomley Trucking (40); Foothills Employment (133); Woodgrain Millwork (20); Exela Pharma Sciences (21); Hickory Springs (12); Fiserv (60); Cargo Transporters (60); Performance Food Service (10);

Leviton (17); Onin Staffing (19); XPO Logistics (9); N.C. Army National Guard (20); Bernhardt Furniture (45); Lee Industries (22); Brookdale Lenoir (6); Western Southern Life Insurance (11); Valdese Weavers (55); Bakers Waste Equipment (27); Maxim Healthcare (20); Bush & Associates Insurance (2); Timber Wolf Forest Products (5); Catawba Valley Staffing (47);

Winston-Salem Urban League (5); Bayada (100); Marlin Chemical (4); AccuForce (59); Sealed Air (32); Manpower (31); 80 Acres Agriculture (10); Case Farms (10); Friday Staffing (113); Chick-fil-A (90); Dunroven House (2); Shaire Center (15); Convergys (170); Nothwest Furniture Xpress (9); Broughton Hospital (31); AutoZone (64); Shuford Yards (15); Sam’s Xpress Car Wash (12); McDonald’s (20); ComServ (10).

Aside from yourself, encourage family and friends who are seeking work or seeking a better job to attend.

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, September 15!!!

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September 13, 2016

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After a long wait by local residents, Chick-fil-A is now under construction in Lenoir.

The work immediately began in the Lenoir Crossings Shopping Center after a groundbreaking ceremony and is expected to be completed in late January.

Local business officials joined city and county officials and county’s state legislative representatives at the ceremony to welcome Mike Sheley, who will operate the Lenoir franchise and said he expects to have a grand opening on Feb. 2.

“I’m so humbled to have the opportunity to serve folks that care about the success of the business that I’m going to own,” Sheley said. “Not every owner gets that, to have the community leaders supporting you and surrounding you. It makes it hard to fail.”

The business will employ at least 100 people, both full-time and part-time. Some are expected to come from applicants at the Caldwell is Hiring event that is scheduled for Thursday, September 15 from 8:30 a.m. until noon at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir.

Sheley has been an operator of a Chick-fil-A in Richmond, Va., for two years, but the Sheley family is familiar with North Carolina. Jessica Sheley, Mike’s wife, is from Mooresville, and Mike went to high school in Greensboro.

Jessica Sheley said they always wanted to move back to North Carolina.

“Our whole goal when we entered into Chick-fil-A was to eventually be able to come home and own one, but it’s a a very competitive process,” Jessica Sheley said. “So for us, we had to take one that was further from home in order to kind of be in the door.”

The franchisee application and interviewing process with Chick-fil-A took around three months.

“We just love the area and just have family so close by,” Jessica Sheley said. “We wanted a community where we could be a part of the community. This is a perfect place.”

Some local residents have hoped for years for a Chick-fil-A, and the one they get will be one of the largest, Jessica Sheley said.

“This one is the biggest on that Chick-fil-A makes, with the nicest package that they make in terms of design,” she said. “When you see the inside of it, it’s beautiful, very beautiful.” She added that the drive-thru will be able to handle two dozen cars at a time.

The Chick-fil-A groundbreaking follows the recent opening of Zaxby’s restaurant in Lenoir.

By Briana Adhikusuma, (Lenoir) News-Topic

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September 12, 2016

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With the extensive assistance and training opportunities available at the Caldwell is Hiring event on Thursday, Sept. 15 from 8:30 a.m. until noon at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir, organizers say that job-seekers should take advantage of every opportunity they can.

A total of 49 companies, tied with the record number at the April Caldwell is Hiring, will be there to fill more than 1,800 jobs. About 10 percent of the companies have not been to previous installments of Caldwell is Hiring, which began in 2010 and is offered twice a year, Caldwell County Economic Development Commission Executive Director Deborah Murray said.

Jobs with Chick-fil-A, which expects to open a new restaurant in Lenoir in early 2017, and 80 Acres Agriculture, a company opening in Granite Falls to manufacture equipment for vertical farming, are expected to be the most sought out companies, Murray said.

“We know that those two will probably have the longest lines, and we’ll event put the room together so that we can handle the traffic,” Murray said.

In an effort to better prepare participants for the event, free pre-registration is available through NCWorks, a state agency that works with job-seekers and employers, to help participants with constructing their resumes and to provide advice  on how to interview well and what to wear. The local NCWorks office is in the lower-floor entrance of the Caldwell County Chamber of Commerce building, which is next to the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center. The pre-registration deadline is Monday, Sept. 12.

So far close to 175 people have signed up for pre-registration, said Ben Willis, the director of technical services for continuing education and workforce development at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute.

“We would love to see more people take advantage of this opportunity,” Willis said, adding that the people who sign up for pre-registration are typically the people who are more driven to find a job.

Those who don’t pre-register can still register at the event.

College representatives will also be available for information on enrolling in any training classes that may be required for a particular job, Willis said.

“We’re able to help people move into these jobs even if they don’t have the skills,” Willis said. “There’s tons of resources to help people who may not have what they need.”

Willis said enrollment in training programs increases after the event and can take from three to six months. There’s almost always high enrollment in furniture upholstery, truck driving, and nurse aide programs.

“We expose each individual to job opportunities and to the resources to help them empower themselves to be more successful,” Willis said.

By Briana Adhikusuma, (Lenoir) News-Topic