RodeoHouston wrangles new workers with ‘Staff Scramble’
Nearly 2,000 jobs range from security to ticket takers
Jan Worthen attended her first RodeoHouston 55 years ago when the event was still at the old Sam Houston Coliseum. And she worked at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for years after it moved to the Astrodome. Those were some of the best times she can remember.
On Saturday, she attended the first-ever “Staff Scramble” job fair — a play on the calf scramble rodeo event — looking for a part-time job to relive her joyous experiences of decades past. NRG Park’s events services companies are looking to fill nearly 2,000 temporary positions for this year’s RodeoHouston, which runs Feb. 27-March 18.
“I love the whole rodeo and livestock show. I love it all,” said Worthen, who’s out of work on disability. “Plus, I need to make some extra money.”
About 1,200 other applicants also looking for part-time employment or supplementary income showed up Saturday for the job fair at NRG Stadium seeking work, and plenty of openings remain. The concessions, venue and crowd management companies — Aramark, SMG and Contemporary Services Corp., called CSC — will continue accepting applications in the coming days as well.
Jobs vacancies range from ticket takers and parking attendants to suite staffers, security and maintenance workers.
The new Staff Scramble was modeled after the “Staff Draft” event held each year prior to the Texans football season, said CSC Senior Vice President Chris Martinez.
They’re not necessarily scrambling and struggling to find
enough workers, he said, but the new job fair helps get the ball rolling on filling jobs and training people about a month prior to Houston’s signature event.
“With the economy being better, it’s actually good for us because we get people who want to be here and not necessarily have to be,” Martinez said, adding that a lot of workers enjoy being a part of the whole RodeoHouston atmosphere.
While the event attracts more than 30,000 volunteers a year, plenty of paid jobs are still needed, he said. Makes you want a buckle
Jarrett McClintock, 29, and Dominique Harris, 28, both work and attend Houston Community College part time. They’re hoping to earn any extra income they can. Harris, of Houston, worked in the suites at RodeoHouston a couple of years ago and he’s eager to do it again. McClintock, a North Carolina native who moved to Houston in 2010, has never even attended.
“I really want to interact with the people and witness the rodeo. I’ve never experienced it,” McClintock said. “Seeing the horses in the streets still amazes me.”
“The rodeo gets bigger and bigger every year. We just want to get a piece of it,” Harris said. “It makes you want to get out and get a belt buckle,” he added, referencing the trophy buckles won by rodeo participants.
And they’re both hoping to get their feet in the door to keep working at NRG Park after RodeoHouston for the upcoming convention, concert and football seasons. ‘A little extra money’
While a lot of people need work, others are looking for something enjoyable. Wayne Hill retired in July from Honeywell International and he’s applying for part-time work after taking time off to travel the country. He’s always loved the livestock exhibitions.
“I thought it’d be worth it to try and get a little more money in my pocket, get me out of the house and get a little bit of exercise while I’m out there,” Hill said.
Worthen said she can agree with that sentiment.
“I don’t believe in retirement,” she said. “The people who work the longest live the longest.”