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. The mill produces linerboard and medium for PCA box plants and is always looking to source its applicant pool with potential employees. This summer, PCA 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 the mill and its career opportunities. 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 PCA great exposure before a diverse audience.
Generating Interest in Manufacturing Careers
The PCA staff set up a booth at the ballpark to:
- Engage with fans to create interest in the mill
- Display the pumps used at the mill to explain manufacturing processes
- Generate interest in 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 candidates can apply for a job
- Partner with high school teachers to recruit students for entry-level positions and apprenticeships
Touting the Benefits of PCA Employment
In the first hour of the event, PCA gave away 400 cups and 200 baseballs. They went like hotcakes! Throughout the night, fans stopped by the PCA booth asking for more – another opportunity to reach job-seekers. Parents took home information about careers for their adult children and kids picked up baseballs to show their parents. PCA reps 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 PCA does these kinds of corporate sponsorship events, the more people in the community will be interested in the mill. Although the mill didn’t see an immediate rush of job seekers at its doorstep, PCA had a fantastic opportunity to expand its name recognition and show community support. Sponsoring the minor league baseball game was a big win for PCA, and the mill 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.
About 15dots: 15 Dots LLC, based in Neenah, Wisconsin, trains HR leaders and organizational personnel to adopt a rigorous employee selection process that is repeatable, scalable, and teachable. 15dots refers to five ability tests and 10 behavior-based interview dimensions critical to employee selection. When employers match people with jobs, good things happen. Not only does production increase, but employee engagement and job satisfaction increase as well.
