Le’Creshia Stigler of Greenwood was one of hundreds of hopeful job applicants to attend the Governor’s Job Fair on Thursday at the Leflore County Civic Center.
Stigler arrived shortly after 1 p.m. for the fair, which had attracted hundreds of job seekers since doors opened at 9 a.m.
“I’ve been here an hour. I was at school,” said Stigler.
Angela Curry, executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation, said the turnout was phenomenal. More than 800 applicants attended, she said.
“There were people at the door at 7:30,” she said.
Recent concerns about weather didn’t deter those trying to find a job or skills training.
“People looked happy,” Curry said.
Adrienne Merriman, a human resources support officer with Advanced Distributors Products of Grenada, said the fair went well.
“We’ve been steady all day,” she said.
Advanced Distributors, which manufactures coils for air conditioning units, is looking for both hourly and salaried employees, Merriman said. It was one of more than 30 employers to sign up for the job fair.
Merriman said it was the first time the company had taken part in a job fair in several years.
The turnout also was high for Greenwood’s Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp., according to Cassandra Simpson, the company’s human resource manager.
“It’s been a steady stream. We figure we probably saw 350 people, and that was in the first two hours,” she said.
Curry said the strong crowds continued throughout the afternoon.
Stigler said she applied at a lot of companies, including Advanced Distributors. Asked if she felt confident she’d find a good job, she replied, “Hopefully, one day.”
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
