Crowd lines up for jobs

Mike Birchfield, of Greenville, arrived at the Best Western Waynesboro around 8 a.m. Wednesday to apply for an entry-level job at the Stuarts Draft Hershey Chocolate plant.

At 4:30 p.m., Birchfield was still waiting for an interview, and was among hundreds of other applicants who had filled out applications during the day.

The plant is holding a three-day job fair at the hotel to fill more than 100 production jobs.  Birchfield found himself in a long line “that was all the way around the building past the front.”

“This would be like winning the lottery,’’ said Birchfield, of being hired at Hershey. Birchfield was among recent layoffs at Stuarts Draft’s Ply Gem plant.

Laid off workers and those with jobs from across the area waited all day for the opportunity to compete for the Hershey production jobs that require a high school diploma or GED and two years of work experience.

Brian Helmick, of Staunton, lost his job Jan. 23 at Waynesboro’s Invista plant. Of Hershey, he said “I know some people who work there and there is good pay.”

David Halterman, of Stuarts Draft, worked for six years at Stuarts Draft’s McKee Baking plant. He recently worked at John D. Eiland Company in Verona loading trucks.

“They will hopefully call my name today. If not I’ll come back tomorrow,’’ said Halterman, who arrived at the Best Western at 7 a.m.

The demand for the Hershey jobs shows there has been a slowdown in Augusta County, Waynesboro and Staunton, but “not nearly as severe as other places in the country,’’ said Ben Carter, president and CEO of the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Carter said the national media has dampened consumer confidence with its reporting of the economy.

“Things are not nearly as bad as they [national media] would want you to think. There are jobs out there and this is one example,’’ Carter said of Hershey. “Some companies are struggling and some are doing very well. Hershey is one example and Coors in Rockingham County is also doing well.”

Augusta County Supervisor Wendell Coleman said Hershey was bracing for a high number of applicants with the downturn in the economy.

Coleman said Augusta County is preparing to finalize an economic development strategy that will lead the county in the future.

“Hopefully, we will position ourselves in a forward direction,’’ he said. “We are not just sitting back. We as a county are trying to be proactive.”