More Than 3,000 Attend Tampa Premium Outlets Job Fair!

By Gary Nager

If you happened to miss the Simon Property Group’s Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO) Mall Job Fair on August 27 (at the USF Embassy Suites hotel off E. Fowler Ave. in North Tampa), I’m not sure how many jobs of the 800 or so positions that are expected to be filled by the time the outlet mall opens off S.R. 56 in October are still available.

I do know that dozens of the outlet mall’s 110 shops were able to fill many of their openings during the Job Fair, which was attended by more than 3,000 people, even though the event was held more than ten miles from the mall’s location at the southwestern edge of Wesley Chapel.

Then-Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) executive director Hope Allen (she was named the Chamber’s first-ever president less than a week later) said she was overwhelmed by the throngs of people who seemed to come in waves.

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“The crowd never really got small from the opening bell (at 10 a.m., when there were already more than 100 people on line waiting for the event to start) until it ended at 7 p.m.,” an exhausted but thrilled Allen said after it ended. “I know (mall GM) Stacey Nance and the Simon people were excited about how it went, too,” especially as several TV stations shared the story of the Job Fair all day.

I also was impressed by the quality of not only the attendees, but of the representatives of the stores themselves. Although known standards like Nike and the mall’s “signature” store, Saks OFF 5th, were packed all day, I saw a manager from The Limited walk up to a nicely dressed young lady and ask her, “Are you here looking for a job? I really like your look and think you’d make a great addition to our team.” I saw managers from Ralph Lauren and even New Balance take similar approaches in their search for quality people. For  more job info, visit TampaPremiumOutlets.com.