Packaging Corporation of America Wallula Mill is a paper and pulp mill that employs 430 workers and has about 10 job openings at any given time. Our mill produces linerboard and medium for PCA box plants, and we’re always looking to source our applicant pool with potential employees. This summer, we took advantage of a fantastic outreach opportunity by sponsoring a minor league baseball game.
Sponsoring Marvel Night at the Ballpark
Twice a year, the Tri-City Dust Devils, a minor league baseball team in the Los Angeles Angels franchise, celebrate Marvel Night at the ballpark in Pasco, WA. It’s a popular event and a fan favorite. On July 15, 2022, PCA sponsored Marvel Defenders of the Diamond Family Feast Night. Fans enjoyed $2 hot dogs and $1 chips, soda, and ice cream sandwiches. They also learned about our mill and the career opportunities we offer. Prior to the event, the Tri-City Dust Devils promoted the game on social media and the radio. They used the tagline “Presented by PCA,” which gave us great exposure before a diverse audience.
Generating Interest in Manufacturing Careers
My staff and I set up a booth at the ballpark where we had a chance to:
- Engage with fans to create interest in our mill
- Display the pumps we use at the mill to explain our manufacturing processes
- Generate interest in our job openings by describing benefits, pay, training, opportunities to advance, and other perks
- Give away cups and baseballs with the PCA logo and QR code to the PCA website where careers are listed and people can apply for a job
- Partner with high school teachers who were eager to recruit students for entry-level positions and apprenticeships
Touting the Benefits of PCA Employment
In the first hour of the event, we gave away 400 cups and 200 baseballs. They went like hotcakes! Throughout the night, fans stopped by the PCA booth asking for more – giving us another opportunity to reach job-seekers. We had parents taking home information about PCA careers for their adult children, and we had kids picking up baseballs to show to their parents. We told everyone about the starting wage and ability to make over $60,000 in the first year, with overtime.
Building PCA’s Reputation in the Community
The more we do these kinds of corporate sponsorship events, the more people in the community will be interested in our mill. Although we didn’t see an immediate rush of job seekers at our doorstep, we had a fantastic opportunity to expand our name recognition in the community and show our community support. Sponsoring the minor league baseball game was a big win for all of us at PCA, and we committed to sponsoring Marvel Night in 2023, too.
Sourcing the Applicant Pool
Today’s job seekers have a slew of career opportunities to choose from. When you’re sourcing an applicant pool, it helps to have a superhero on your side – whether it’s a Marvel character at a baseball game or the 15dots® employee selection team at your side. Contact us to learn how to repeatedly, reliably, and independently choose the right hires without bias.