Chamber to host business, job fair

The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a Business Summit and Job Fair for May 1, at FivePine Conference Center from noon to 6 p.m.

The event is presented in cooperation with the Oregon Employment Department WorkSource, Central Oregon Business Resource Network and Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council.

"Due to an overwhelming lack of employees in the Sisters area last year, the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee decided to hold a Business Summit and Job Fair to try to make sure employers had a sufficient supply of workers this summer," said chamber director Cheryl Mills.

The business summit will include a luncheon starting at noon, with presentations by Roger Lee, Executive Director of Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), and Bill Mintiens of the Sisters Entrepreneurial and Economic Development (SEED) action team.

Roger Lee will be giving a presentation about the state of the Central Oregon economy and Bill Mintiens, with the help of Bud Prince, Economic Development Director for Redmond, will be presenting information that he has gathered regarding an Economic Development Director for Sisters.

In conjunction with Mintiens' efforts to gather information from other Central Oregon communities, the chamber is conducting an online survey regarding this topic (see related story, page 3). Results from the survey will be shared during this presentation.

The business summit and luncheon will be followed by a job fair. There will be as many as 27 different employers at the job fair which runs from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Workshops for job seekers will be offered during the job fair. Workshops include: "Résumés with Style;" "Ace the Interview;" and "Finding Local Job Information Online."

Cost of the job fair for employers is $100 for a booth or $110 including the luncheon and lunch-only is $20. Pre-registration is required. Job seekers may attend the job fair and workshops at no charge. The Business Summit and Job Fair are sponsored by Ray's Food Place and The Nugget Newspaper.

To take the survey online go to http://www.SistersChamber.com, click on Sisters Area Chamber, then choose Survey. People without Internet access should contact the chamber for a hard copy. The survey closes on April 30, at 5 p.m.

For more information contact the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce at 549-0251 or visit http://www.SistersChamber.com.