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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2019)
FROM A1 A12 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAy, JANuARy 2, 2019 TEMP Continued from Page A1 Staff photo by Jayati Ramakrishnan Junior Ortega chats with a customer as they drive through the 395 Quick Stop. QUICK STOP Continued from Page A1 said. “It’s so convenient. I hated dragging my kids into a gas station.” They enjoy the corn and Takis with cheese, as well as the interaction with the store’s employees. “It’s fun that they do trivia and give away drinks,” she said. “We keep it pretty sim- ple,” Ortega said. “You take care of the people who take care of you.” He also interacts with his customers regularly on Facebook, Snapchat, Ins- tagram and Twitter, post- ing multiple times a day, with specials and trivia questions that custom- ers can answer when they drive through. The busi- ness’s Facebook page has amassed more than 5,000 likes. “Social media is my cup of tea,” he said. A week before Christ- mas he posted a poll, ask- ing customers which of the store’s three employ- ees they’d like to see dressed up as Santa Claus while they worked the next weekend. Customers, of course, chose Ortega, so he donned a St. Nick suit for the weekend as he worked. “Our customers are what make the whole idea fun,” he said. “I’m really big on relationships, and I’m pretty happy with what we’ve put together in the past five years.” The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. www.eomediagroup.com Express, a national ser- vice with multiple branches in Oregon, is one of a few staffing agencies in Uma- tilla County. Other employ- ment services include Work- source Eastern Oregon, which includes some public and private agencies, as well as some agricultural staffing agencies such as Atkinson Staffing. Connell said Express currently has about 213 active associates and about 53 business clients to whom they supply workers. Cli- ents include large manufac- turers as well as small com- panies with just two or three clients. About 75 percent of their clients are businesses that involve some sort of physical labor, like manu- facturing, agriculture, con- struction or food processing. The other 25 are administra- tive roles, including office jobs with agricultural or manufacturing companies. During a conversation that usually lasts no more than an hour, employment specialists will find out as much as they can about the person’s desired job, such as minimum pay, how much they want to work and how far they’re willing to com- mute (Express covers cli- ents in Umatilla and Mor- row counties). They discuss the person’s skills, things they do or don’t want to do, and their work history. Applicants are given a con- ditional offer of employ- ment with Express, which then seeks out jobs for them. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Maintenance supervisor David Pichcuskie replaces a light bulb in a security light at the Boardman Trails Apartments on Thursday in Boardman. The employee’s rela- tionship with Express could last anywhere from a few months to several years. “Some associates only want temp work,” Connell said. “Some client partners don’t ever hire our employ- ees, and they keep them on our payroll forever.” Some associates have done temp work through the agency for two or three years, Connell said. With lower unemploy- ment numbers, the applicant pool gets less varied, said Connell, and they see more applicants with the same skill sets. “The types of people we’re seeing, we already have 20 just like them,” she said. “Maybe they’re entry- level, not a lot of skills.” Skills, she said, can include forklift operators or refrigeration technicians, or someone with office skills, like bilingual administrative assistants. “Those people aren’t nec- essarily looking for work; they’re already employed,” she said. The average wage for jobs through Express is cur- rently $15.09 an hour, Con- nell said. The majority of the asso- ciates who come in seeking jobs are recently laid off or have just moved to the area, but there are a few retired people who will take seek out temp jobs, looking for variety. David Pichcuskie is one of those people. The Stan- field resident was an asso- ciate of Express Employ- ment services for nearly two years, working tempo- rary jobs around Umatilla County before settling on a permanent job this summer, managing apartment com- plexes for Umatilla County Housing Authority. Those temp jobs included working as a flagger with the railroad, filling out orders and distributing food for CAPECO, and driving a forklift for Dupont Pioneer. Pichcuskie had owned a business for several years, but when he retired, he wanted something that would allow him some flexibility. “I don’t think I’ve turned down any job,” he said, add- ing that he’s enjoyed most of the work, though there are a few jobs he’d prefer not to do again. “Like emptying a rail car filled with coal dust — by hand,” he said. Pichcuskie said the range of jobs taught him about dealing with different industries, as well as Occu- pational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. “You learn a lot when you’re bouncing from place to place,” he said. Pichcuskie said people who want to keep work- ing have to be willing to broaden their scope. MORE WINNERS. MORE OFTEN. 3 Grand Prize winners will choose a case filled with cash! Cash Drawings Every 30 Minutes • Thursday – Sunday February 2 & March 2, 9pm Win 100 BEFORE THE BIG GAME! 4 WINNERS EVERY HOUR (2-slots & 2-Table Games) SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 10AM – 3PM ® CASINO • HOTEL • GOLF • CINEPLEX • RV • MUSEUM • DINING • TRAVEL PLAZA 800.654.9453 • PENDLETON, OR • I-84, EXIT 216, wildhorseresort.com. Owned and operated by CTUIR Management reserves all rights to alter, suspend or withdraw promotions/offers at any time.