Arnold Community Council, Bowling job fair for ATA reduced in force, area unemployed, a success

  • Published
  • By Kathy Gattis
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Organizers and attendees are saying last week's job fair sponsored by Arnold Community Council (ACC) and Tennessee Senator Janice Bowling went very well - with attendance much better than expected.

Almost 150 job seekers and 20 exhibitors participated.

Originally the event was planned for ATA employees who were reduced in force (RIF) and Air Force civilians who were furloughed. Because of changes in AEDC's workload, ATA recalled most, but not all RIF personnel.

Even though the number of ATA employees looking for work decreased, ACC President Steve Cope and Tennessee Senator Janice Bowling decided to proceed with the job fair.

"Our goal was to assist Arnold (AEDC) employees affected by the furlough and ATA employees affected by layoffs and was quickly expanded to do so much more when we included everyone who is unemployed or underemployed in all 13 surrounding communities," said Steve Cope, ACC president.

"It was really rewarding to walk through the fair and see the assistance being provided to those job seekers. They seemed to really appreciate the opportunity and the ACC was honored to play a role in this great event."

Michael March, an unemployed aerospace engineer, said, "The job fair was excellent! I obtained good information on open positions, job websites and network information leading to other career possibilities, he said. "I really appreciate the ACC setting this up."

Bowling agreed with March's assessment. "The job fair held this week was a tremendous success. I want to thank everyone who helped organize the event, the exhibitors and most importantly, the folks who attended. It is my prayer that job opportunities will be the result of this event."

Cope thanked AEDC Commander, Col. Raymond Toth, ATA General Manager, Steve Pearson, state officials (Clay Banks and Gary Morgan) and the entire ACC Leadership Team; many of these people met every two weeks to plan the event.

It was the first time the ACC had partnered to conduct a job fair and exhibitors like those from Fluor Government Group were impressed.

"We were very pleased with the candidates we met at the job fair," said Julie Doering, Fluor Government Group marketing manager. "We found a few individuals who may be able to fill some niche spots for us, and we were able to introduce Fluor to a lot of people who weren't familiar with us before the fair. On all counts, it was a great event."

Officials from the state of Tennessee and Motlow State Community College also held classes about interviewing skills, resume preparation, etc., and assisted applicants one-on-one in building resumes. Ascend Federal Credit Union also taught budgeting classes.

"Many of our job seekers thanked us for hosting the job fair and those that attended the classes said they were very informative," said Susie McEacharn, executive director of the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce, who staffed the registration table.

AEDC's Commander, Col. Raymond Toth was very pleased at the turnout and the organization of the event.

"I'd like to thank the Arnold Community Council and Senator Bowling for their dedication to not only the men and women of AEDC, but to the surrounding communities. The support from the state and the vendors at the fair was truly amazing and they deserve thanks also. Although this event was originally designed to help those AEDC employees who were going through difficult times, I'm so glad it morphed into something that really helped the broader communities. I'd also like to acknowledge and especially thank the volunteers who gave so much of their time over the last few months putting this event together; their hard work really paid off for the attendees."

Arnold Community Council was formed in 2000 to support and promote AEDC. The group helps sponsor a variety of base events, including the Veterans Picnic, AEDC Annual Awards, AEDC Christmas Party and many others.