(BlueRidgeNow.com – March 26, 2015)
By Charli Kerns
Times-News Staff Writer
Networking was the name of the game at the Asheville Outlets Job Fair Thursday at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher. Over 1,000 people of all ages drove from all over Buncombe and Henderson counties to interview for one or more of the hundreds of retail jobs at the 48 participating stores.
Representatives from the stores crossed state lines for their chance to meet the potential faces of their new branches when the Asheville Outlets mall opens in May.
“The trick to a successful business is finding the right people,” said Jessica Keesee, assistant manager of the Lucky Brand Outlet in Sevierville, Tenn.
Keesee said she enjoys coming to job fairs because of the chance to connect with the local people who will work at their new stores, such as the one in Charlotte that opened in April 2014.
According to Danny Pippin, Lucky Brand’s district manager for the Central East region, the company currently has 76 stores across the nation and plans to expand to 100.
“This is a good way to meet the locals here and get to know them,” Pippin said, “and to know who shops here and who wants to work with us.”
One of the local faces in the building was Sara Doane of Etowah, who arrived just as the job fair opened at 8 a.m. and made a beeline for New York and Co.
“My friend told me they were looking for manager positions, and that’s what I’m looking for,” Doane said.
She moved to Henderson County from Florida in November and still works remotely as an instructional designer and technical writer, which supports her enough to pursue a career change.
She had applied for a few jobs online with little luck before she heard of the job fair.
“This is my first one, actually, and I had heard of the one at the Grove Park Inn that’s happening on Monday. Figured I’d go to both,” Doane said.
Like Keesee and Pippin, Doane thought the job fair offered a two-sided opportunity.
“It’s a chance for them to meet people and for us to stand out,” Doane said.
She added that beats scouring the Internet for jobs, where employers only see a resume and application. “This way, we’re applying with a face and a personality.”
In all, Asheville Outlets will employ 800 to 1,000 people in full- and part-time positions in the facility and 75 retail stores. More than 1,000 construction jobs were needed to develop the 325,000-square-foot, open-air outlet center.
Annually, the outlet mall is expected to bring in $8.3 million in state tax revenues, according to Tammy Cox, manager of the mall. It will produce another $7.1 million in federal taxes.
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