For the second time, the annual San Benito County Expo and Job
Fair was split into two different tents: one for local businesses
to interact and another to help the unemployed find work.
For the second time, the annual San Benito County Expo and Job Fair was split into two different tents: one for local businesses to interact and another to help the unemployed find work.
But unlike last year, emphasis was put back on the businesses that filled the Veterans Memorial Building and the expo, highlighting what the local companies do for the community.
“Today is about growing businesses,” said Nancy Martin, president of the Economic Development Corp. of San Benito County.
It wasn’t growing businesses by offering jobs, but by creating connections with community members and partnerships with other businesses. The expo was a way to promote the businesses to those who might not know about it, organizers said.
One way to do that was allowing the businesses to sell goods from the booths.
“We wanted to give businesses a chance to sell their goods here,” Martin said.
The hope was that with the ability to sell, more businesses and residents would be interested, helping to “grow business.”
“We want businesses to find the support of the community,” Martin said.
Inside the Veterans Memorial Building, the 55 companies and services stayed busy throughout the early afternoon.
“We’ve gotten rid of most of our catalogs,” said Soila Rojas, who manned the booth of Hollister-based West Marine. “It’s been surprisingly busy. It’s been great – hopefully it continues.”
Some of the companies had lines of at least five people deep, as residents hoped to either get a job application or one of many products that were being given away.
One of the busiest booths belonged to skin-care product Nu Skin. Because of the new expo rules, Nu Skin had a long line of people wanting to get a free sample or buy a product.
As a Hollister- and Salinas-based distributor, the expo helped spread the word of the product.
“This is great because it allows people to see the benefits of the product,” Nu Skin representative Alicia Gela said.
For others it wasn’t about the product but about a business initiative, such as the Green Business Program that is supported by the county’s chamber of commerce.
The recognition program celebrates businesses that try to reduce the global footprint and focus on becoming green, representative Dave Matuszak explained. The program promotes the idea that becoming green saves money.
“Some people don’t know that going green is an easy way to save money,” he said.
At the job fair in the tent next door, employers were met with a constant stream of people looking for work.
More than 20 businesses from the area, including shops from the Gilroy Outlets, the Hollister Youth Alliance and the San Benito County Probation Department, were looking to hire additional help.
Those looking for jobs were asked to sign in as they entered the tent, and then were free to roam the room of employers.
As soon as the tent opened to the public, applicants swarmed the businesses, Eddie Bauer representative Paige Lopez said.
“It’s been busy all afternoon,” she said. “It’s been pretty good so far.”
Some businesses held interviews at the site, while others took applications and scheduled interviews for a later date. Unlike last year, there was no interview room and businesses were forced to either interview at the table or wait.
