Sep. 14—Those in St. Joseph who have been on the job hunt found more than 40 local businesses ready to meet with prospective employees Tuesday afternoon at Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center.

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Human Resource Management Association of Northwest Missouri for a career fair at the hotel on Woodbine Road. Natalie Redmond, Chamber of Commerce CEO and president, said plans for the event were sparked when employers asked her to help them connect with people in the community.

"We have a great job board. We do a lot around talent attraction, really sending people to those virtual job boards but we have some folks in our workforce and in our HR group that really wanted to also have us host a career fair. So this is the first one we've hosted," Redmond said. "We're excited to try it. It's a new thing for us, but it's just another way to really get the name of our local businesses out to the residents so that if they're looking for a job, they have an option."

Janie Lucas, human resources director for BMS Logistics, participated in the event Tuesday and said it was a great chance to show the community the many different job fields available in St. Joseph.

"I think this is just post-COVID, ready to get everybody back to work. I think the supply chain is starting to open back up so people can actually get products on the shelf," Lucas said. "I just think it's letting people know that businesses are ready to get back to normal as well as people are getting ready to get back to normal."

There were more than 40 local employers at the career fair including Altec, the City of St. Joseph, Hillyard, Herzog and much more.

Brooke Rondeau, a Missouri Western State University student, is graduating in December, so she visited the job fair in preparation for life after school.

"I feel like it definitely allows people to know what's out there. There's a lot of times you're like, 'Well, I don't really know what this job really does, so I'm not going to apply for it,' and all that, but being able to like see people and ask questions in person, I feel like it kind of allows people to get out there a little more," Rondeau said.

Lucas said she knows it can be a stressful time but finding a job may be easier than expected.

"Don't be afraid of getting overwhelmed. There's lots of opportunity in the St. Joseph area. If you're looking for a job, you can definitely find one here," Lucas said.

The Chamber of Commerce has a job website board available at https://jobs.saintjoseph.com/companies?page=2 for those looking for jobs in the community.