Ceco Door offering additional benefits to address hiring shortage

MILAN, Tenn. — Ceco Door is the largest employer in Milan, but, like many companies, they’re facing a shortage of employees.

“Our workforce is great trying to pitch in, trying to fill in those vacancies and really try to help minimize the impact that it has while they see us try to recruit to try to get those positions filled,” said Kristy Mercer, HR Manager at Ceco Door.

They’re a world-renowned industrial door maker, building doors for Wrigley Field and a skyscraper in Dubai, but due to retirements and natural attrition, they’re 20 employees short in their 500-person workforce – more than double the normal amount.

“The average length of service here is about 14 years, and we still have some people who have been here since we opened in 1974,” Mercer said.

With so many places vying for the best employees, Ceco Door has gotten creative. They’re offering gym and tuition reimbursement, employee referrals, and starting bonuses in addition to their normal benefits.

“We’ve got great workers here and putting the employee referral bonus out there really seems to make the incoming applicants come in,” Mercer said.

They’ve even increased the starting pay to $16.38 an hour and started housing an on-site medical clinic, partnering with West Tennessee Healthcare. They’re hoping to fill those vacancies sooner rather than later.

“It’s somebody with a great work ethic and coming to work every day, and looking for somebody who wants a good career,” Mercer said.

You can apply for those open positions on any job listing website.

Black and Decker is another company also hiring. They are hosting a job fair on Saturday, May 1 at the Jackson facility from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.