Operation organizers pleased with job fair turnout

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    DEXTER — They only had few days to get the word out, and the temperatures barely broke the zero mark last Saturday morning
    But there were 30 people waiting outside the Dexter Town Council Chambers at 8:30 a.m. to fill out a survey for the prospective revival of shoemaking in the community.

    A steady stream of people came through the chambers, picked up the one-page survey, filled it out and was interviewed informally by a group of volunteers. “It’s been this way all morning,” said Town Manager Shelley Watson around 10:30 a.m. “This is just amazing.”
    By the time the session had ended, more than 130 people filled the paperwork.
    A group of former shoe company executives, business owners and public officials have met several times in the past month to discuss reviving a hand-sewing operation in Dexter. Gerry Marshall and his daughter, Alisha Ames, helped organize the sessions and recruit advisors and volunteers.
    State Representatives Paul Davis of Sangerville and Ray Wallace, a former Dexter Shoe executive, were also on hand to greet the crowd. “It shows there are people willing to work in the area if given the chance,” said Davis. He added that he even ran into “a couple of old classmates.”
    The group made a decision shortly after Christmas to hold a job fair to see how many former shoe workers were still in the area, and if they were interested in either working for the new venture or teaching hand-sewing.
    “I was very happy with the turnout,” said Ames. “The big thing for me was the hope on people’s faces when they walked through the door. We had people there with no experience at all and some with as much as 31 years. We had cutters, hand-sewers, maintenance people – you name it,” said Ames. “We also had a mix of wanted part-time work, full-time and just wanted to volunteer.”
    Ames added that from a human resources view, “This is ideal. Now we have a database to draw from.”
    Dexter Shoe Company was the town’s largest employer for years until it was sold and manufacturing ceased permanently in 2001. The factory on Railroad Avenue is now a warehouse for H.H. Brown, the parent company of Dexter Shoe; and the former warehouse and retail store is owned by John Chappell, who opened the Watering Hole tavern and indoor horseshoe pit in part of the building.
    Dick Hall, a former Dexter Shoe vice president, said he was “flabbergasted by the turnout. I couldn’t believe that many people would show up in that kind of weather. Some people even asked for surveys for others who couldn’t make it.”
    Hall also noted the talent level of the interested workers. “I knew there were plenty of people still around, including some I knew during my days at Dexter,” he said. “Some I expected to see, but I also had some pleasant surprises.”
    Hall said that the next meeting of the group will be held soon and he’s convinced that the operation will go forward. “This job fair really gave us all the initiative to get something accomplished,” he said. “We’re obligated to these people who showed up.”