Blue Bell, other workers seek jobs as layoffs rock Brenham

BRENHAM — Nearly every parking spot was taken Thursday morning outside the Washington County Fairgrounds on East Blue Bell Road, four minutes from the Brenham creamery. It was the city’s second job fair in the two weeks since Blue Bell announced extensive layoffs following a listeria outbreak that forced the ice cream company to put production on hold.

May was tough on Brenham. Blue Bell laid off 250 of its local workers, and placed another 300 on furlough. Just two days before the fair, Stanpac, which handled Blue Bell’s packaging, laid off 47. And before Blue Bell, lighting and utility pole maker Valmont Industries laid off 40 percent of its workforce, 160 employees, and machining company MIC Group cut 64. In all, more than 500 people no longer had jobs.

Inside the fairgrounds, dozens of recently displaced workers wandered the 30 booths, filling out applications and collecting brochures from employers that ranged from the Bureau of Prisons to WalMart. One man showed up wearing his Valmont coveralls.

For Dwight Henderson, it was his first time looking for work since he graduated from high school. He had been a Valmont welder for 34 years.

“I’m nervous,” he said, seated at a table filling out forms. It’s not that he didn’t have skills or experience: “I’ve just never done this before.”

Valmont announced layoffs at the beginning of the month, but some of those employees are still working. Henderson knew his last paycheck would come

in early July, and he didn’t want to procrastinate. The company gave employees time on the clock to check out the fair.

In one corner, staff from Workforce Solutions Brazos Valley, which organized the event, offered résumé tips and interview training. Many, like Henderson, had been working at the same company for decades and needed help transferring their skills to different positions.

Robert Reyna Jr. of Workforce Solutions worries that Brenham’s economy could suffer further.

“It’s not just those laid off by Blue Bell now,” he said. “That company is a driving force in

Washington County, and we don’t know how far the ripples will extend.”

Though many looking for work were still recovering from the shock of losing their jobs, there were decisions to be made. How far were they willing to commute? Would they move somewhere bigger, where there were more jobs, like Houston or Dallas? Would they enroll in college and learn new skills, maybe change careers? Would they switch industries and accept lower wages?

It was a lot to think about, said Michael Davis, seated at a table with six other Valmont workers filling out applications. He had almost finished paying down a house with his girlfriend, who survived cuts at MIC. It was five minutes from his old job, but it had been flooded in the recent rainstorms, yet another stressor. A friend walked over to the table with a tip: “Hey, guys there’s a steel place in Dallas that offers the same jobs, same benefits, same everything.” A few of the men left the table to check out the booth. Davis wouldn’t leave Brenham, he said. He had roots.

Jesse Klehm, who had worked for Blue Bell since 1998, was holding out hope for its return. Already, he missed working in the 38-degree cold storage unit loading cartons onto pallets and joking around with coworkers. Human resources there had prepared a résumé for him and mailed it to his house. For now, he was hunting for something that would hold him over: “Whatever I can get for the temporary, until Blue Bell gets back on their feet.”

Klehm said a friend from Blue Bell had attended last week’s job fair, organized by the Brenham/ Washington County Chamber of Commerce. That fair, like the one Thursday, attracted more than 200 people. Klehm said his friend had an interview later that same week and began a new job Tuesday at a summer camp.

For 18-year-old Cody Davis, it was a matter of going from part-time classes to becoming a full-time student at nearby Blinn College. He had been at Blue Bell driving a forklift since junior year of high school. His mom had been working there for 30 years and survived the cuts. Almost everyone in his family, including his grandfather on his dad’s side, had worked there at some point.

“I always expected to work at Blue Bell, but I didn’t expect to retire there,” he said.

At his house, he still had a halfgallon of Homemade Vanilla, and he was still planning to eat it.