ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Hurricane Helene impacted Asheville structurally, literally and figuratively. Businesses were forced to shut their doors and lay off employees, and many remain closed as the city continues to struggle with restoring clean water.
The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce is ready to help employers rebound and get employees hired.
The Chamber organized the WNC Mountain Strong Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8, at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville.
“It has come together in just the last couple weeks,” said Erin Leonard, Vice President of Communication for the Chamber. “As we were connecting with different employers after Helene, we were hearing a need. That there were employers that were hiring and also that there were job-seekers out there.”
The Chamber typically holds a career fair every spring. This emergency fair came together much faster in an effort to connect in-need employers with potential employees in the same boat.
Despite the short timeline, over 70 employers are registered for the event, covering business from A to Z, literally. Automobile service group AAA will have a booth in the same room as local outdoor recreation company Zen Tubing.
The list of employers is mostly comprised of larger companies. Many small businesses in Asheville are still struggling, Leonard said.
“I think businesses are in all different stages of how they were impacted,” Leonard said. “Whether they’re at a place where they can reopen, we’re seeing more and more that are open. To talk about small businesses, the water situation has been really difficult for a lot of them.”
Lack of acess to clean water has prevented many businesses in Asheville from returning to normal – or hiring. Restaurants and breweries may be the first to spring to mind, but the list of industries that rely on clean water is wide-reaching, including services like dentistry and childcare.
The water crisis is ongoing, but the career fair is soon. Parking vouchers are available for the free event, which will be spread across the Harrah’s arena floor.
“We’ll have a list available, so if there’s somebody in particular you wanted to talk to you could go directly to them. Or, wander through and talk to a variety of employers,” Leonard said. “Some of them may be doing interviews. We’ve seen that in the past at career fairs. Some will do interviews on the spot.”
Dress to impress and prepare your resumes. For a full list of attending employers, visit the career fair page on the Chamber website, www.ashevillechamber.org/news-events/events/wnc-career-expo.