The second annual Wyoming County Business, Jobs and Gas Expo was a huge success last week in Meshoppen, Pa., as hundreds who came out in search of jobs found companies looking to hire.

This past Thursday was the second annual business and natural gas jobs expo held in Wyoming County, Pa., where the natural gas industry has been very active for the past couple of years. The event was sponsored by Cabot Oil and Gas, Williams, and Southwestern Energy, and had participation from hundreds of additional companies representing various aspects of the development process, as well as subsidiary industries. And the best part — almost all of the companies present were looking to hire the many job seekers who came out.

This year’s event saw more attendees and also had more businesses participating compared with last year.

“The Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce has built a tremendous partnership with the natural gas industry that has helped us to connect with local businesses and individuals.  The growth of the Natural Gas and Jobs Expo reflects the strength of this partnership.” -Helen Humphreys, Williams Strategic Outreach Representative.

While the main focus of the day was on jobs, education and the sharing of information were also important aspects. To facilitate this portion of the day, groups such as the Marcellus Shale Coalition and the Northeast Driller had booths alongside universities and other schools offering job training programs across the region. (EID proudly had a booth as well.)

We helped provide general information about the development process, as well as local workforce training opportunities and websites that are helpful for those looking for jobs with the natural gas industry. While Joe and I kept busy at last year’s expo, this year’s event was even more well-attended. It was packed from the onset and stayed that way most of the day, with a great mix of job and information seekers.

All day there were people at the booth asking questions, as well as job seekers in a side room filling out applications and being interviewed for immediate opportunities.

The event was also a great opportunity for local businesses to connect with other businesses, and learn about other ways to market to the industry through programs like Marcellus On Main Street and ShaleDirectories.com. Some companies present included the hospitality business which is booming just up the road in Tunkhannock, Invisible Fence, trucking companies, the local Sherwin Williams where they paint not only houses, but well sites, and others.

“This is a very positive event, giving the smaller businesses in our area the opportunity to market to a larger audience.” -Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Maureen Dispenza.

We couldn’t agree more Maureen! The expo is a great example of the tremendous growth opportunity being brought to our region thanks to natural gas development. It highlights how a growing industry in Pennsylvania means more jobs and economic opportunity for businesses directly related to this industry and what’s more is it showed the impacts on businesses indirectly or not related to the industry at all, as well.

At the end of the day it was obvious companies in the region are hiring, and people from all over the state and neighboring ones like New York are ready to work. If you are looking for a job in the Marcellus, please be sure to visit our Job Resource Page.

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