Aspire & Hire Career Expo Breaks Records with Unprecedented Job Seeker Turnout

The newly opened Rowan Community Center was buzzing with energy on Thursday, April 3, as the Aspire & Hire Career Expo welcomed the largest crowd of job seekers seen at a Rowan County job fair in recent history. The event was made even more special by the attendance of Macy’s, which is preparing to open its massive distribution center in China Grove and is actively hiring for warehouse and maintenance roles.

Anticipation for Macy’s participation grew quickly through the community. A Facebook post by Rowan EDC promoting their attendance went viral on Monday, garnering over 1,300 shares and driving an extraordinary surge in traffic to the registration page. The result: 1,000 job seekers pre-registered ahead of the event.

“We’ve been getting inquiries about Macy’s ever since the announcement over two years ago, and it’s amazing to see that excitement still going strong,” said Mollie Ruf, Marketing and Communications Manager for the Rowan EDC. “Watching the registrations roll in like never before was thrilling — and the best part is that all of our participating employers benefited from the huge turnout and steady foot traffic at their booths.”

The day kicked off with a morning session dedicated to high school seniors from Rowan-Salisbury Schools, giving students a firsthand look at local career opportunities and direct access to recruiters. The goal is for these work-ready students to either be enrolled, enlisted, or employed upon graduation — a key focus of the district’s commitment to preparing students for life after high school.

“We are grateful to our business and industry partners for showing our work-ready seniors the incredible career possibilities right here at home,” said Stacy White, Executive Director of RSS CTE Program. “Together, we are keeping talent local and building a stronger future for Rowan County.”

“This is a time of year that we come together as a community to energize and excite the Rowan County area with opportunities. We at NCWorks are always ready to roll up our sleeves to get the new generation of workforce participants more active and informed during the Aspire & Hire event,” commented Joseph Dismuke, Career Center Leader/Manager of NCWorks Career Center – Rowan.

“The Rowan Chamber’s Workforce Development Alliance is pleased to work with our community partners on another successful Spring Job Fair,” said Chamber President Elaine Spalding.

In total, 105 high school seniors from Rowan-Salisbury Schools participated in the morning portion of Aspire & Hire, while the overall job seeker headcount, including walk-ins, reached 1,300 attendees and featured 48 employer booths.

The Aspire & Hire Career Expo was proudly sponsored by the Rowan Chamber’s Workforce Development Alliance, Rowan EDC, Rowan-Salisbury Schools CTE, Rowan Partners for Education, and NCWorks — a powerful collaboration committed to strengthening Rowan County’s workforce pipeline and supporting local employers in meeting their talent needs.

If you missed the job fair but are still interested in employment opportunities in Rowan County, be sure to explore the Work in Rowan Job Portal at www.workinrowan.com. For those specifically interested in positions with Macy’s, applications can be submitted online here.