More than 60 veterans and their spouses turned out for the Hiring Our Heroes job fair Wednesday at the Osage Centre. This is the first time the program has been hosted in Cape Girardeau.

More than 40 employers, both local and out-of-state, had booths ready. Resumes were shuffled, applications were filled out, cards were exchanged and a few on-site interviews were conducted.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and The American Legion have hosted more than 500 of the job fairs across the country for veterans of any rank and level of experience since launching the program in March 2011.

Many veterans traveled several miles to Cape Girardeau to network and meet employers.

Laura Arms, 53, traveled from Burkburnett, Texas, where she's stationed as a pediatric nurse. She's been a nurse for 31 years, and she joined the Air Force 17 years ago. Arms is retiring in August. She and her husband own a house in Belleville, Ill., and she's looking to get a job in St. Louis.

Arms said the fair seemed geared more toward different types of technical work than management, but she was happy to talk to University of Phoenix representatives about positions for online instructors.

"I think it's good that there are a lot of different varieties in the same spot," she said.

Some employers traveled from out of state, too. Malissa Lewis is a human resources manager for American Railcar Industries in Marmaduke, Ark. The company builds both hopper and tank railcars, and employs welders, painters and maintenance workers.

"We usually try to stay within a certain radius, but anytime it involves veterans, we're willing to go a little further," she said.

Lewis said veterans offer a special skill set.

"They've got a great work ethic; a lot of leadership skills in the workplace," she said. "It just allows them to be successful."

Lewis said the job fair had a steady stream of people passing through.

"I've not had an opportunity to be bored," she said.

Local stores participated, as well, looking for veterans to fill much-needed positions. Buchheit has stores in Jackson, Perryville, Mo., and Herculaneum, Mo., along with four in Illinois.

"We need a whole bunch of employees because we're expanding our trucking business," human resources director Ed Danielski said.

He said the company is looking for drivers desperately, and veterans generally has of high quality and want to begin working right away.

Patrick Waller has his sights set on Buchheit, along with Union Pacific and the Missouri Department of Transportation. Waller said, ideally, he'll get his CDL license to be a truck driver.

Waller has been out of a job for six weeks. He was a food service specialist in the army at Fort Lewis, Wash., from 1984 to 1987. Right away, he got a job with FMA building harnesses. He's had steady work since, though he's had to switch jobs because of company closings and layoffs.

Waller is hoping to hear back from his top choices from the fair. This is his first veterans' job fair, and he attended workshops with one-on-one help to build resumes and refine interviewing skills.

"I would recommend it to any of the vets," Waller said. "There's a lot of opportunities here."

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