NORFOLK, Neb. -- "If you're looking for a job in construction, please apply,” said Scott German, Tribal Liaison for Woodstone Inc.

The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska along with Woodstone Incorporated held its fourth job fair to search for potential employees for the construction of the Prairie Flower Casino. 

The job fair held two sessions at different times of the day with both being open to the public. 

German said that these in-person job fairs are important as they help spread the word the old-fashioned way. 

"The labor market's very tight, so obviously we're looking for workers, our subcontractors are looking for workers. So, being in the different locales, getting the word out hopefully it gets to I didn't make it to the job fair but my cousin told me he was there and he told me,” said German. “So, that's a part of that conversation is getting the word out and getting word of mouth communication." 

The sessions featured informative presentations highlighting the intended schedule of construction, the goal of tribal participation, job positions, and other details for the project. 

German said there isn't an exact number of positions for construction, although there is a ballpark for the time during the peak of construction. 

"So, the project in duration is about 16 months, about seven months in we'll be where we're starting to ramp up to what we call peak employment,” said German. “And so, the duration of time from about seven months into the project to about 13 months into the project, so there's about six months there of peak employment. There will be 100 to 130 positions of people physically on the job every day." 

The additional jobs will help the people of Nebraska, which German said will help the state. 

"I would tend to think that the majority of the employees are going to be local Nebraskans, so there'll be an additional pay packet for them to spend in the grocery store, get ready to go back to school, those types of things, leisure activities,” said German. “So, there again the tax revenues that the state receives, that the local municipalities receive from those sales." 

Construction is expected to close out in April 2025, as site excavations and footing foundations are currently underway beginning the process. 

The job fair has been to Ralston, Lincoln, Sioux City, and now Norfolk, and its last and final stop will be in Niobrara on Friday.