From Dayton Business Journal…
Growth driving hiring at Dayton-area companies
by Joe Cogliano
Monday, November 22, 2010, 12:00am EST
While many companies cut development budgets during the recession, The Reynolds and Reynolds Co. kept its foot on the pedal.
The Kettering-based provider of auto dealer software and services never slowed investment in product development and now is seeing strong sales coming out of the economic downturn.
“We have continued to see a need for technical, engineering, and product roles — and that’s been a big reason for our hiring,” said Tom Schwartz, a spokesperson for the company.
Though unemployment remains at high levels, the job market appears to be stabilizing as Dayton-area companies like Reynolds and Reynolds prepare to hire more than 3,300 new workers.
This includes more than 1,400 positions available now or by the end of the year at 46 local companies, as well as more than 1,900 future jobs, many of which will be open next year. The new numbers are an improvement from a similar research project by the Dayton Business Journal in March, 2009, that found 1,100 job openings at 75 companies.
“We’re getting the feeling that there is a greater confidence in the future of the economy and people are starting to look more seriously at opportunities to grow and expand their businesses in this area,” said Chris Kershner, vice president of public policy and economic development for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.
The number of current openings comes from a variety of sources, including responses to a DBJ research survey, public announcements and online job postings. The number of future jobs was tabulated using public statements and state and local economic development announcements, most from the past several months.
Kettering Health Network is reporting the most immediate openings, with 281 positions available. Beavercreek-based MacAulay-Brown Inc. lists 200 openings and the federal government lists 116, mostly jobs with the U.S. Air Force.
Among the largest future hires are Caterpillar Logistics Services, a division of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT), with at least 500 positions, Miami Valley Hospital South with 200 openings, Kroger (NYSE: KR) with 200 jobs and CareSource with 200 openings.
The University of Dayton is currently looking to hire more than 24 employees and has an additional 136 openings for graduate and undergraduate students.
Joyce Carter, vice president of human resources at UD, said the number of openings can vary at any point in time, but the school typically hires 200 to 250 faculty and staff per year.
In 2011, UD should hire that many, or more, Carter said.
Record enrollment at the school has spurred the need for more faculty and support workers, but the big driver has been University of Dayton Research Institute. Within the last year, the institute has pulled in record amounts of federal grants and contracts and moved into the former NCR headquarters.
UD gets hundreds of applications for many of its openings.
“It’s a great problem to have,” Carter said.
The manufacturing jobs sector appears to be rebounding at a slow, but steady pace.
Many of the companies hiring again report they are looking for a handful of workers.
For example, American Heat Treating in Dayton has been working with The Job Center to add three workers, including two furnace operators.
“Our workload is increasing and we need good help,” said Larry Gray, president of American Heat Treating.
Last week, Kotobuki-Reliable Die Casting Inc. in Xenia announced plans to hire up to 37 new workers as it expands to a three-shift operation. The company said it is hiring six salaried personnel and between 25 and 31 new hourly workers, and plans to have those positions filled by Jan. 4.
Interviews for the openings began last week and will transpire again Nov. 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Green Works in Xenia.
A company official said in a statement Wednesday the hiring is being driven by an increase in business. The statement also said the company expects to continue the expansion of its operations and facility in 2011 and through 2012.
Kotobuki-Reliable Die Casting launched operations about this time last year, and is an affiliate of Kotobuki Die Casting of Osaka, Japan.
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