Lines were long last week when the Cowlitz Tribe of Washington state took part in the Portland Career Fair in neighboring Oregon. They were so long that they stretched out of the front doors of the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel and applicants were standing shoulder to shoulder in the conference room where the job fair occurred.
The tribe is seeking to fill about 1,000 positions for its ilani Casino near La Center, which broke ground in February and is due to open in April 2017.
Kara Fox-LaRose, general manager of the project, told the Reflector: “We’re a little overwhelmed right now,” and added, “We’re very excited. It’s been a long pursuit.”
During the three hours of the job fair the ilani’s booth was very much the center of attention and the other companies that participated received much less interest. Most of the job seekers were from the Clark County area where the casino is being built.
The casino plans to host another job fair early next year.
The casino has faced several legal challenges. One of them remains active: Citizens Against Reservation Shopping v. Jewell. Casino opponents have appealed their earlier loss in federal appeals court to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has not yet announced whether it will review their appeal.
