The first in a series of job fairs was held Wednesday and Perry Chamber Director Lynsi Pasutti feels grateful for the turnout.

Following the announcement of Tyson Foods closing its operations in Perry, the city, along with the Perry Economic Development and Perry Chamber joined forces to navigate through the next steps. Pasutti explains that the first half hour of the job fair was the busiest, seeing the most people in that time frame. She estimated that there were more than 300 people that attended and described the devotion it showed to the community.

“It showed that we’re working together and we’re here to support our community, our businesses, the workforce, all of the employers to help make those connections and we all pull together, have this first of several series take place. We had a number of resources available as well, so people could connect in different ways with things that they needed and then this is just the start to be that support system.”

Pasutti mentions that a bigger job fair is in the works, tentatively scheduled for May 16th, and is continuing to work closely with Iowa Workforce Development on finding a bigger venue to allow more businesses in on the next one.