Need A Job? See Brown-Daub

Gary Eckley has something to offer that would make Barack Obama envious.

While the president is promising to create jobs, the GM-owner of Brown-Daub Kia has 50 positions at his Wilson car dealership and a new one on William Penn Highway in Palmer Township that he's trying to fill immediately.

"There's nothing more gratifying than knowing that we can help people and help them feed their families," said Eckley, who has owned the dealership since 1997.

Brown-Daub Kia hosted a job fair Tuesday at the on Kunkle Drive in Palmer Township to fill the new positions it created due to business expansion.

It's opening the new dealership across from Williams Restaurant in the next two or three weeks.

So Eckley got to play Santa Claus Tuesday.

He was offering 50 full-time and part-time positions for sales and service consultants, service technicians, parts department employees, porters, office and clerical staff and customer support personnel.

"We've outgrown our business," Eckley said.

He added that his dealership sells more than 200 cars a month and has 60 appointments at its service center each day.

The dealership employs 78 people and houses 450 cars at the old Dixie Cup plant besides what it showcases at its Butler Street store.

"It feels like we're doing business the right way," he said. "We're taking care of our customers and that equals great customer satisfaction."

Eckley said he's seeking candidates who will continue the tradition of his family-oriented business.

About 25 applicants had appeared at the job fair before noon Tuesday.

Eckley said his staff will sift through the applications and schedule second interviews before filling the 50 positions, split between the current and new dealerships, possibly by the end of the week.

Service Manager Troy Haydt interviewed seven candidates and was sold on at least two of them.

He had already scheduled a second interview for one of them on Friday.

"I've never done a job fair before," Haydt said. "This is phenomenal. I'm very excited about the job prospects."

For Eckley, though, it's about taking a leadership role in the community as a business that helps out in difficult times.

"I'm a dealer of the people," he said.

"It's very tough out there for people to get a job," Eckley added. "It's extremely scary. A lot of companies are closing down and some dealerships are not surviving. We are actually expanding with the economy being this way."

There's still time to fill out a job application.

The job fair lasts until 9 p.m. Tuesday.

For more information, call 1-800-264-8268.