North Canton Mayor: Monday Job Fair Positive Sign For City

About 1,000 people waited in line at the Hoover building Monday to apply for 100 jobs through Suarez Corp. Industries, the newest tenant inside the Hoover building.

North Canton Mayor David Held talked about the job fair with optimism at Monday night’s City Council meeting.

“I think it really represents a couple things,” Held said. “No. 1, that there are still a lot of people out there struggling to find employment … and at the same time, it’s nice we have at least 100 jobs to offer.”

Suarez Corp. Industries’ move into the building actually will bring about 250 jobs to the city immediately, but 150 of those are relocating, while 100 are being created.

The company makes the portable EdenPURE heaters, among other household appliances.

Held said reporters and photographers from the Washington Post arrived Monday to document the job fair for inclusion in a story about the Rust Belt recovery.

WEWS NewsNet5.com also included clips from the job fair in a video. That video also included comments from Lucas Engelhardt, an associate professor of economics at the .

Engelhardt said in the video that the economy in Northeast Ohio has improved since a year ago, although the job seekers in NewsNet5.com’s video didn’t agree.

City Council also discussed the the city has offered Suarez Corp. Industries. It would give the company a credit of one-half of the city income tax paid by new employees after the company signs a five-year lease.

The company, , will be in the 200,000-square-foot building at 334 Orchard St. It will receive an annual tax credit against its net profit tax. If the credit is more than the tax owed by the company, the city would refund the difference up to the maximum credit.