PORTAGE, Mich. — A Michigan dispensary is offering to hire hundreds of employees laid off from a fast food chain. More than 420 people in the state were left without jobs when the closures started last month.
In a letter to Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, EYM King of Michigan announced last month that it would close 26 of its franchise Burger King locations by mid-April.
"Even though this is a tragedy, and all these jobs were lost, there's a lot of hope," Ryan Jundt, a representative with STIIIZY, says.
He says he found out about the closure right as dispensary leaders are searching for hundreds of new employees.
"STIIIZY as a whole is growing like crazy," Jundt says. "I realized that our manufacturing department, at the same time, has been trying feverishly to hire people and staffing up 200-plus positions, and looking to do so in a window of 30 days."
They're hiring for both manufacturing and retail positions in the Detroit area, as well as West Michigan at their Battle Creek and Kalamazoo area locations.
"Really, more or less, if you're willing to work and be consistent and show up to do the work, you will get trained and you will be successful in the company," Jundt says.
So far, about 200 people affected by the layoffs have applied.
"Which was more than we would have thought," Jundt says. "And the good news is a lot of the candidates are very, very qualified. We're going through and interviewing each one currently."
The offer isn't just limited to those impacted by the closures.
"If people are out there and they're struggling to look for work, just to know that there are companies that are hiring and are growing," Jundt says.
Those interested in starting the application process are asking to send their full name and phone number to mioffice@shrinegroup.com.
"Then typically, within 48 hours, you'll get a phone call for your first interview. And then if everything checks out there, you'll quickly be on boarded into the manufacturing department," Jundt says.
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