OFS plans job fair May 7 for local job seekers

OFS used a May 7 job fair at Plant 8 in Huntingburg to recruit workers for its Sewing/Cutting and Upholstery operations, a clear sign that one of Dubois County’s longstanding manufacturers was still filling jobs and strengthening its local labor pipeline.

The event ran from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 1008 North Chestnut Street, where attendees could explore openings, meet team members and tour the facility. OFS said it wanted to talk with people who already had experience in upholstery, sewing, cutting machine operation or fabric-related work, but it also opened the door to people who wanted to learn the craft.

That mix of experience and training matters in a county where manufacturing remains a major source of stable employment. For students deciding what comes after graduation, workers thinking about a career change and residents looking for better-paying local jobs, a hiring event like this is one of the most direct ways to see what a major employer needs and what it offers in return.

OFS describes itself as a family-owned contract furniture manufacturer serving office, education and lifestyle markets. The company says it was founded in 1937 and is based in Huntingburg, and its headquarters there was built in 2005. That long local footprint gives the job fair more weight than a one-day recruiting stop. It points to an employer that has stayed rooted in Huntingburg through decades of changes in the furniture business and the regional economy.

The company’s careers page lists health, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, a 401(k) plan, mental health support through an employee assistance program and an onsite gym. Those benefits help explain why manufacturing openings at OFS can matter well beyond the plant floor. In a community where households depend on steady work and local spending ripples through shops, restaurants and service businesses, the health of a company like OFS is tied closely to the health of the county itself.

For Huntingburg and the wider Dubois County labor market, the job fair was less about a date on the calendar than about a familiar economic signal: a major employer was hiring, and it was asking the community to step forward.