By BOBBIE GREEN
The Progress
It was a busy morning at the Mesquite Welcome Center on Friday, June 11. More than 100 jobseekers and 19 different employers were brought together by the Mesquite Works organization in a successful Job Fair event, the first that the organization has hosted since October 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Fair was held outdoors on the lawn of the Welcome Center. Participants enjoyed pleasant morning temperatures, an ideal opportunity for jobseekers and employers to mingle and discuss available positions.
Mesquite Works reported a total of 127 potential candidates that came inquiring to the Job Fair. This was a high number as the last Job Fair hosted by the organization drew 108 job seekers.
One of the attendees, Larry Laman came from Wyoming to Mesquite in February of this year. He has been doing odd jobs ever since. One hour after the fair opened, The Progress caught up with Laman on his way to the parking lot to leave the Job Fair. “I am a happy camper, I already have a job,” Laman said. “I was hired by Express Employment and I will be working the Walmart remodel.”
Fifteen-year-old Taylor Everitt was busy under a shade tree where Mesquite Works volunteers ahd thoughtfully set up tables for applicants to complete paperwork. Everitt was filling out an application from Mesa Valley Estates.
Mesquite City Councilman George Gault and Mesquite residen Burton Weast launched the nonprofit Mesquite Works organization in 2015 with the hopes of developing a greater workforce in the area. The organization is governed by a board of directors consisting of representatives of area employers, educators, civic leaders and other community members. Since its establishment, more than 500 jobseekers have found employment through job fair events and training programs offered by Mesquite Works.
“Our primary purpose is to provide training opportunities for jobseekers and businesses of the Virgin and Moapa Valleys of southern Nevada and the Arizona Strip communities of Beaver Dam, Scenic and Littlefield,” Gault said.
All of the business managers in attendance at the fair agreed they were have problems with being short-staffed. Even though they have all raised their starting rate of pay to try and draw employees to fill open positions.
The main qualifications that employers were seeking at the fair were people skills. Most needed people who are good at customer service.
Kim Badger is HR Generalist II for Litehouse Products located in Hurricane, Utah. She said that within the first hour they had scheduled five interviews.
“We are big supporters of Mesquite Works,” Badger said. “This outdoor fair is very successful. We employ 260 people and we are still short of workers.”
Badger believes the extra unemployment benefits are part of the cause for the shortage of people willing to work.
Kim Woolsey, Office Manger at Primex Corporation, said, “This was a great idea to have the job fair outside, we already have four interviews set up and it has only been open one hour.”
Participants at the Job Fair event included Litehouse, Walmart, Eagles Landing/Mesquite, City of Mesquite, Do it Best Corp., Eureka Resort, CSN, Mesquite Ace Hardware, Express Employment, Mesa Valley Estates, Mesquite Police, Kokopelli Landscaping, Country Financial, Primex, Danville Services of Nevada, NRC General Contracting, Salvation Army and Help of Southern Nevada.
Mesquite Works Office is located at 312 Mesquite Blvd. Ste 102. For more information about services that the organization offers, call 702-613-0699.
