Applicants Line Up for Temporary Open Jobs

BY BRIAN KLIMEK: Staff Writer, The Pilot

The estimated 45,000 people roaming the grounds of Pinehurst during the U.S. Open this month are sure to get hungry and thirsty.

Somebody has to quell the hunger and quench the thirst of thousands upon thousands of golf fans. That task will fall mostly to Restaurant Associates, which will rely heavily on temporary workers to cater to the masses.

While the catering company will bring to the table the know-how of feeding hordes of people, it still needs help finding workers for the week of the Open.

NESCO Resources, an engineering and design firm with a hospitality and special events division, is responsible for finding the hundreds of temporary workers that will be needed for a wide range of jobs.

Paulina Gallelli, director of NESCO Resources’ hospitality and special events division in Rochester, N.Y., said her company is up to the task.

“We’re in charge of the hospitality positions for the Open,” Gallelli said. “We’re going to be hiring for about 600 positions, all of them temporary.”

The process of acquiring employees began Thursday and continued today with an “open house” at the Hampton Inn in Southern Pines. Gallelli said that most of the positions will require employees to work every day from June 13 through June 19.

“We’ll have some starting before then and some running longer, but the majority will be from the 13th through the 19th,” she said, adding that another open house would likely be scheduled. “People can also apply online.”

There are numerous jobs available for people of varying skill levels, Gallelli said.

“We’re hiring for anything and everything related to hospitality,” Gallelli said, adding that experience isn’t required, but it is helpful. “We want to hire people that will help Pinehurst and the U.S. Open live up to their reputations.”

The positions available include cooks, butlers, bartenders, dishwashers, food runners, bussers, line attendants, cashiers and stockers.

NESCO’s work doesn’t end once the hiring process is finished. Gallelli and her four compatriots are also responsible for training and superivising the temporary workers.

“We’ll be on site the whole time, checking on the workers,” she said. “We want to make sure we do whatever it takes to keep everybody happy.”

Though Gallelli is the director of the group, she said everybody works together.

“It’s a group effort,” she said. “We’re all taking phone calls and doing things like making sure people know where to go.”

Gallelli said finding workers for a renowned event like the U.S. Open is always a challenge, but not a daunting task.

“It’s just what we do,” she said. “This is how we conduct our business.

“Our biggest challenge at any event is that we’re out-of-state people. Sometimes people don’t know a lot about us so they’re skeptical at first.”

If people don’t know about NESCO it’s because much of what the company does at big events is done behind the scenes. Gallelli works at one of 56 branches nationwide. The company has been in business for nearly 50 years.

Gallelli’s visit to Moore County isn’t her first to North Carolina.

“We recently worked the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte,” she said. “We also worked on Speed Street during the Coca-Cola 600 last week.”

NESCO has also hired workers for the Ryder Cup, the PGA Championship, the Senior PGA Championship, the Booz Allen Classic, the Olympics and the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament.

Successfully working big events like the U.S. Open involves teamwork from everyone involved, according to Gallelli.

“The catering company is also very involved and does a wonderful job of providing us with our information,” she said. “If it was not for both our efforts as a team, we (NESCO) could not pull these huge events.”

Those seeking more information about NESCO Resources or wishing to inquire about a temporary position at the Open should contact Gallelli at (585) 750-2249.

Gallelli said anyone who calls must leave a clear message, including their name and a working phone number.

Information is also available at www.nescoresource.com or www.nescospecialevents.com.