BRUNSWICK

A hiring event at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Brunswick on Wednesday featured 52 employers and an overcrowded parking lot as job seekers came in to spend face time with just about every type of employment available in the Midcoast.

Sponsors and their representatives, Carolyn Farkas- Noe of the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber, Leon Ouimet of the Maine Career- Center and Donald Marino of Coastal Counties Workforce, monitored the ebb and flow of potential employees in the hall.

Farkas-Noe said that as of 1 p.m. they had counted more than 200 job seekers coming through the doors seeking out what companies from Dunkin Donuts to Bath Iron Works had to offer.

“Many of them have lines in front of their exhibit space for people wanting to give their resumes and/or fill out an application. We have great weather. We have parking issues, so we’re very happy,” Farkas-Noe said.

Ouimet said it’s a “little dicey” putting on a job fair when unemployment figures for the state are around 3.6 percent. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics currently places national unemployment at 4.9 percent.

“We’re glad to have the turnout that we’ve had,” Ouimet said.

Farkas-Noe and Ouimet said technical support and the health care industry are big employers right now. With a growing elder population, Farkas-Noe pointed out the increasing need for in-home services.

“We do have a smattering of folks that are looking for more seasonal positions and the hospitality corridor starts right here in Brunswick for much of the area, so that’s always a big need as well,” Ouimet said.

One of the biggest draws was the Bath Iron Works table which Farkas-Noe and Ouimet said had a steady line once the doors opened.

The two said many employers mentioned this event as the best turnout they’ve seen and they were pleased with the turnout. Brunswick company SaviLinx, who recently announced 200 job vacancies, reportedly had about 70 applicants.

Some job seekers came in their professional best, others came in jeans and sneakers and all ages were represented.

“We’ve had a fair number of people come in that are about ready to make a change — they’re going to retire which today means ‘I’m going to do something different.’ So, we’ve had quite a few people in that category,” Ouimet said.

Dana Lee, a data steward at Owens Corning in Brunswick, said the manufacturer is looking to fill 10 to 15 positions.

“We take Fiberglas wovings and we weave it, stitch it into fabric that we sell to other manufacturers and they make things like windmill blades and snowboards and MRI machines — the applications are pretty endless,” Lee said.

Lee said Owens Corning is looking for support people and machine operators and they will provide the training to the right candidates.

“We need a lot of help — we’re actually turning business away,” Lee said.

Maria MacKellar is a recruiter for Mid Coast-Parkview Health. She said Mid Coast has opportunities doing a little bit of everything.

“We have everything from RN and CNAs to housekeepers, medical assistants, medical secretaries, receptionists and everything in between,” MacKellar said.

Mid Coast-Parkview Health encompasses Mid Coast Hospital, Mid Coast Senior Health Center, CHANS Home Health and Thornton Oaks Retirement Community, as well as several medical practices.

Some of Mid Coast’s more urgent hires is in the nursing field, specifically registered nurses and certified nursing assistants. MacKellar said that they will soon be posting six or eight positions for newly graduated nurses for their nurse resident program.

Not many nurses came through the door, however, IT professionals and secretaries showed up and asked about opportunities, so MacKellar was calling it a successful day.

Merrilee Wilson browsed tables and chatted with employers along the way.

“I’m looking for project management type of work, but I’m very versatile. I have a wide background in both the U.S. Navy, the federal government and the private sector,” Wilson said.

Wilson said she’s looking for positions that would bring her in touch with the public, such as customer service work or helping organizations improve their processes and procedures.

Wilson said she felt that she’d made some good connections at the job fair, met some nice people and was feeling quite positive about her prospects.

dmcintire@timesrecord.com