PIC hosting career expo, with 200 openings

Partnership Industrial Center tenants are coming together to host a career expo later this month.

At the northeast Springfield industrial park, 23 companies — together seeking more than 200 employees — are slated to participate in the 2-6 p.m. event on April 30, according to a news release.

Among the companies are SMC Packaging Group, which is investing nearly $18 million to expand and renovate the former home of Watts Radiant at 4500 E. Progress Place in PIC.

“Our goal is to establish the Partnership Industrial Center as a hub of great employers. The career expo will offer job seekers in the greater Springfield area a chance to explore careers and learn more about the companies in the PIC,” said Donna Johnson, human resource manager for the manufacturer of corrugated packaging, protective shipping cartons and packaging supplies, in the release. “We would like to dispel the myth that manufacturing jobs lack security, satisfaction and compensation.”

The 23 companies in PIC currently employ more than 2,600 people in the 360-acre development.

The companies participating in the career expo are ABEC, AmeriPride Linen & Apparel, Black River Imaging, Buckhorn, Central States Industrial, Certified Metals, Cintas Corp., Diesel Exchange, Digital Monitoring Products, Jarden Plastic Solutions, John Deere Reman, L&W Industries, Masonite, McCormick & Co./French’s Food Co., Nestle Purina PetCare, NorthStar Battery Co., Nowata Printing Co., SMC Packaging Group, Springfield Sign, Springfield Striping & Sealing, Thermo King of Springfield, United Poly Systems and Uriah.

Job seekers will check in at the center’s main entrance, located southeast of the Interstate 44 and U.S. Highway 65 intersection. Companies will offer on-site interviews and tours, among other resources, according to the release.

The event is the first in a planned annual series of job fairs at PIC, officials say.

Established in 1994 and completed in 2006, PIC is a master-planned industrial park inhabited by manufacturers, according to SpringfieldRegion.com.