By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
PGT Industries, which has been one of the bright spots during the recession, will be adding 30 manufacturing jobs at its plant off Heilig Road.
Over recent months, the maker of vinyl and glass windows and doors has hired 90 people, bringing its workforce to about 425 in Rowan County.
For the 30 new jobs, PGT will be conducting a job fair at the plant from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday.
StaffMasters of Charlotte will be conducting the recruiting process.
PGT Industries works first and second shifts.
Patti Misenheimer, regional manager for StaffMasters, said those applying for the PGT jobs should have manufacturing experience, and having completed Work Keys testing through Rowan-Cabarrus Community College would be an advantage.
If the applicant has completed the Work Keys testing, he or she is being asked to bring those scores, which would help speed up the process.
“We’re seeing more and more employers go to this career readiness (program),” Misenheimer said.
Saturday’s job applicants also should wear closed-toe shoes “because they will be going on a tour of the facility while they are there,” Misenheimer said.
The job applicants should be prepared for one-on-on interviews, too.
“We’re hoping to spend some good quality time with those individuals,’ Misenheimer said.
People interested in the PGT jobs could fill out an online application before Saturday, and interviewers will be able to retrieve that application on the site.
Applications can be filled out by visiting www.staffmasters. com.
Misenheimer said the StaffMasters office at 2128 Statesville Blvd. will be open Saturday, too, but she encouraged applicants to report directly to PGT Industries at 2121 Heilig Road.
“PGT is growing, it’s expanding,” Misenheimer said. “It’s been such a joy for us to work with them because they are an employer of choice in Salisbury.”
Robert Van Geons, executive director of the Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission, said seeing the “Taking Applications” sign at PGT has been heartening.
PGT has quietly moved into the top five among Rowan County’s biggest manufacturing employers, he said.
Van Geons said PGT is “an aggressive user” of Work Keys, a job profile service which uses tests to pinpoint skills needed for specific jobs.
Good scores on the four tests, which cover things such as basic math, reading comprehension and soft skills, can give workers an edge.
Misenheimer said she would encourage all people looking for jobs to use Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s career readiness center for the Work Keys testing.
“It’s not just PGT” among companies relying more heavily on the tests to help with their recruiting, Misenheimer said.
“Employers are starting to really look at those as criteria,” Van Geons agreed. He said it serves as “an-agreed upon, third-party endorsement of their skill set.”
PGT says it pioneered the impact-resistant window and door industry and is the nation’s leading supplier of residential impact-resistant windows and doors.
The company employs more than 1,250 people at its manufacturing, glass laminating and tempering plants in Florida and North Carolina.