Boat business gauges workforce
By Barbara Arntsen
Published in News on June 13, 2005 1:54 PM
A major boat manufacturing company is considering locating in Wayne County.
An advertisement in the News-Argus classified section said the company would be looking skilled workers to fill as many as 250 jobs.
Joanna Thompson, president of the Wayne County Economic Development Commission, said the anonymous company asked the commission to run the ad in order to determine the labor force available in the area. Such "blind ads" are commonly used by companies considering relocating or expanding, she said.
Wayne is just one of several locations across the state being considered by the company as a location, Ms. Thompson said.
The skills sought by the boat-builder include woodworking, building fiberglass molding, lamination and repair, electrical assembly, detailing, equipment maintenance and warehousing. Workers would need to be able to lift objects as heavy as 30 pounds.
The advertisement says the company is looking to fill all positions locally, including supervisors, manufacturing management and computer assisted drawing positions.
"It's a way to get a feel for employment," Ms. Thompson said. "It's a good way to measure quantity and quality."
Ms. Thompson said that different companies use a variety of methods to gauge the possible labor pool in a given area.
"Some, like this one, may ask us to run an ad," she said, "and others may choose to hire a professional human resource person to conduct selected interviews."
She said the Wayne commission hasn't run such an advertisement for a company in six or seven years.
The ad, which first ran Tuesday, said wages would be competitive and benefits would include a 401(k) plan for employees. Resumes should be sent to P.O. Box 1280, Goldsboro 27533.
Last week, Wayne officials announced that a new business would be creating 120 jobs in downtown Goldsboro. The North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police will locate a new fund-raising call center in the former First Citizens Bank on North Center Street.