The Marcus Shale exploration in downtown Pittsburgh will address the status of jobs in Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, October 14, three keynote speakers will discuss the staffing challenges facing firms that are part of the Marcellus Shale exploration at an event in Downtown Pittsburgh. “Recruit and Hire a Safe and Productive Workforce” will take place at PNC Park’s Hall of Fame Club from 8:00 a.m to noon.

While many industries are struggling with job creation and high unemployment, companies involved with Marcellus Shale development find themselves with the opposite dilemma – high demand to fill a variety of jobs, but difficulty finding and identifying qualified people to hire for these positions. This situation is expected to continue, as exploration in the Marcellus region is expected to generate more than 200,000 new jobs by 2020.

Marcellus Shale, an extensive formation of shale found predominantly in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, contains significant and largely untapped natural gas reserves. Energy companies are not the only ones impacted by the hiring boom – many companies that support the exploration and drilling stand to prosper as well: engineering firms, trucking companies, equipment manufacturers, scientists – even restaurants and other hospitality services.

The event’s speakers will each focus on a different area:

Anne Naqi, Director of Human Resources Operations at EQT, will discuss recruiting issues and the specialized job roles that exist within Marcellus Shale activities. She will address the challenge of finding qualified candidates and will detail recruiting resources and techniques to help organizations find individuals to perform these often tough-to-fill roles.

Glenn Downer, Vice President of Behavioral Science Technology, Inc. (BST), will examine the importance of implementing a safety culture. He will detail the components of such a culture, how it supports employee retention and satisfaction, and how it fosters a sustainably safe workforce.

Kevin Klinvex, Executive Vice President and Co-founder of Select International, will offer best practices on how to identify and hire candidates who will successfully contribute to an organization. He will also address the legal defensibility of various hiring tools and processes, a segment that is sometimes overlooked.

“The Marcellus Shale exploration will provide great job growth for this area, at a time when it’s desperately needed,” said Klinvex. “But this growth needs to occur in a controlled, deliberate way. Companies need to be sure they’re hiring dependable, safe workers who will positively contribute to their organization for many years.”

Hilton Pittsburgh is continuing to hire for hotel jobs in Pennsylvania.

has continued its aggressive hiring efforts with several new additions to its sales force. The new team members include Senior Sales Managers Mike Claravall and Shelley Wood; and Marketing Manager Derek Scalzott.

“With the completion of our $30 million Phase One restoration, our growing sales force is essential to accommodate the pent up demand for all of the luxuries that Hilton Pittsburgh now offers,” said Tony Aslanian, Director of Sales and Marketing. “Our expanded sales and service team is dedicated to providing outstanding service for company meetings, special events, conventions and business travelers.”

Mike Claravall

A hotelier for nearly 20 years, Claravall is a Certified Hospitality Supervisor of the American Hotel and Motel Association and a member of the Society of Government Meeting Planners. Mike earned the Sales Person of the Year award in his most recent position at the venerable Seelbach Hilton in Louisville, Kentucky. Claravall earned his Hospitality Management Degree in the Philippines.

Shelley Wood

Wood is a familiar face within Pittsburgh’s convention and tourism community because she previously served as Senior Sales Manager at Hilton Pittsburgh for more than 14 years. A graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, Wood is a board member of Meeting Professionals International.

Derek Scalzott

Scalzott has previous guest services and special events management experience with SMG at Mellon Arena and Pittsburgh Public Theater. A Pittsburgh native, Scalzott is a graduate of California University of Pennsylvania.

“We are enthusiastic to enhance our sales team with these talented industry sales professionals. They will be genuine assets to Hilton Pittsburgh’s expanded sales and marketing efforts,” Aslanian said.

About Hilton Pittsburgh

Under the venerable Hilton flag for 50+ years, Hilton Pittsburgh is the city’s largest and most recognizable hotel. Adjacent to Point State Park, the property is conveniently located near Heinz Field, PNC Park, the Cultural District, and the Convention Center.

Hilton Pittsburgh recently renovated all 712-guest rooms to provide greater comfort, style and convenience for business and pleasure travelers. Each of those beautifully appointed accommodations features flat panel HDTV, Hilton’s Serenity Collection Bed and Bath amenities, and world renowned Lavazza® in-room coffee – all along with breathtaking views of the city’s skyscape or Three Rivers.

Hilton Pittsburgh currently features 40,000 square feet of flexible function space, including Pittsburgh’s largest hotel ballroom and a state-of-the-art Conference Center. The property employs almost 500 local residents and welcomes hundreds of conventions and special events each year.

HHGregg has announced they will be opening ten new stores and hiring many new employees for retail jobs in Washington, D.C.

The Indianapolis-based consumer electronics and home appliance retailer is hiring at least 500 employees. Although many similar retailers nationwide are struggling to stay afloat in this downtrodden economy, HHGregg is thriving and expanding.

The retailer has said they will hire 50 employees for each store. Six stores will be opened in Virginia and four in Maryland.

To attract potential candidates, the retailer is holding job fairs in these cities in mid-July.

According to IndyStar.com, in May, hhgregg opened its first stores in Delaware and New Jersey, along with six other stores in Pennsylvania, hiring 600 employees to staff the 30,000-square-foot stores that sell televisions, appliances and electronics. That brought its U.S. store count to 157.

HHGregg said they would like to grow their total store number to 400 by 2018, a lofty but attainable goal.

“As we continue to move forward with our mid-Atlantic expansion, we look forward to hiring talented members of the local community to be part of the hhgregg team,” said Greg Walker, vice president, Mid-Atlantic region. “There are many exciting opportunities for motivated individuals looking to grow with our company. We encourage anyone who is interested in joining our team to apply.”

Like all hhgregg employees, newly hired associates will undergo a comprehensive training program that includes over 200 hours of product training. The program is designed to ensure each associate is well prepared to answer all product related questions in order to help customers make the best purchase decisions. Each hhgregg store showcases over 100 digital TVs and has more than 500 major appliances in stock every day.

Individuals interested in applying for the open positions are encouraged to visit the “Careers” section on hhgregg’s website. An online application and assessment must be completed in order to secure an interview with the company. To apply online, please visit http://www.hhgregg-jobs.com/.

To learn more about upcoming hhgregg store openings, please visit the “hhGO” link on the company’s website, http://www.hhgreggnewstores.com/, or visit http://www.hhgregg.com/.

One year ago, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law, creating thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania.

According to an article on PRNewswire, in Pennsylvania, the success of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is clear. It has preserved 84,000 Pennsylvania jobs, according to a report from the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Extended unemployment and food stamp benefits have kept Pennsylvanians who lost their jobs from losing everything. Those benefits, coupled with the Making Work Pay tax cut, put money back into Pennsylvania communities and businesses when they needed it most. A study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that 189,000 Pennsylvanians were kept out of poverty last year as a result of these types of benefits in the Recovery Act.

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Two companies will soon help to create more Pennsylvania jobs (Click here).

Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania Inc. will become North America’s largest processor of dark air-cured tobacco and Alpha Mills Corp. will create almost two dozen new jobs thanks to $2.7 million in new state investments.

“Even in a tough economy, we are helping businesses grow and become better able to compete in the global economy,” Gov. Edward G. Rendell said. “It’s vitally important that we continue our work to keep businesses in Pennsylvania and to bring new companies within our borders. If we lose the ability to do this, these crucial projects will go elsewhere.”

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State and federal officials have formulated a plan to help save thousands of PA retail jobs.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently approved a plan that Gov. Edward G. Rendell initiated in November 2008. The plan will provide a $43.7 million loan to help save 24 Boscov’s department stores and retain the company’s 5,000 employees throughout Pennsylvania.

“This is great news for Pennsylvania, its people, communities and one of our most respected businesses,” Rendell said. “Boscov’s has been a cornerstone of many communities in Pennsylvania since 1918. Today, with 24 locations throughout the state and more than 5,000 employees, they remain a significant part our economy.

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The establishment of two new companies will help create more jobs in Pennsylvania. Click here to see more.

Gov. Edward G. Rendell recently announced that Diversapack LLC and Advanced Metal Processing will establish new facilities in Blair County, Pa. Those two projects will help create 185 jobs during the next three years and bring $21 million in total investment to the area.

“These projects are particularly good news now, because our state is struggling through the worst economic recession since the Great Depression and it’s taken its toll,” Rendell said. “In the last year, Pennsylvania’s number of unemployed people has jumped 206,000, pushing our unemployment rate to 8.2 percent. Here in Blair County, that rate is somewhat better at 7.6 percent, but it’s still far higher than the 5.0 percent it was a year ago.

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A new initiative could help create a slew of PA teaching jobs in important fields.

Gov. Edward G. Rendell recently announced a proposal to increase student achievement, address teacher shortages and prepare the state’s future workforce for high-demand fields. The proposal would allow skilled professionals in the science, technology, engineering and math fields to share their expertise.

The proposal would institute residency teaching certificates to attract mid-career professionals to teaching positions. The proposal is a response to President Barack Obama’s call for “innovative work” at the state level to promote math and science education. Pennsylvania also is one of only six states that received a National Governors Association grant to establish a STEM Center.

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Gov. Edward G. Rendell recently announced his plan to invest in three venture capital firms that will help create biotech jobs in PA.

The Commonwealth Financing Authority recently approved $5 million in new investments to the firms through the New PA Venture Capital Investment program, which provides loans to venture capital firms to invest in growth-stage companies. The three firms are expected to leverage an additional $15 million in private investments that will be used to support more than 20 early stage companies in Pennsylvania.

The New PA Venture Capital Investment program was authorized to provide $60 million in loans to venture capital managers and leverage another $180 million in private equity for a total investment of $240 million in the local economy. According to the National Venture Capital Association, Pennsylvania is currently third in the nation in jobs created by venture-backed companies.

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Thousands of Pennsylvania jobs will be created by new projects in Allegheny County.

Gov. Edward G. Rendell recently announced his support for 12 projects throughout the county that will generate almost half a billion dollars in total investment and create or retain about 6,750 jobs. Rendell noted that Pittsburgh has received a lot of attention for its revitalization efforts during the last six years.

“Pennsylvania has not been immune to the challenges of the national recession, but here in Allegheny County, we’re seeing a solid return on our investments in projects that create jobs and improve the quality of life,” Rendell said in a press release. “We’ve invested in this region and reinvigorated downtown Pittsburgh by building on our strengths—our workforce, some of the world’s best universities, and our talents in the creative economy.

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