CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
It’s a job seeker’s paradise at the West Virginia Construction and Design Expo at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center this week as employers from every corner of the building trades look for their next hire.
Workforce recruitment is one of the focuses of this year’s expo, and Workforce West Virginia is hosting a job fair during the event on Thursday. With major construction projects going on around the state, the opportunities are significant.
“You can walk through the door. You can start a job where you have no experience. You can get trained on the job. You can be put into a union on that position. There’s a little bit of everything,” Workforce Employment Programs Manager Amy Crook said.
With several thousand attendees coming to Charleston for the expo and more than 300 exhibitors on site, job hunters don’t need to look far to find something that interests them. On the other side of the conversation, the growing need for employees means some of the biggest companies on the exhibit floor are hiring now.
“We are always looking for qualified individuals, especially on the project manager side right now. We are constantly trying to grow ourselves, and to do so, we need to have a strong team behind us, so we’re always looking for opportunities from the folks that come out to these events,” Neighborgall Construction Business Development Manager Caleb Koerner said.
The job fair runs from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Thursday as the expo comes to a close. Crook makes it clear that these opportunities are not just for young people new to the workforce or longtime workers in the building trades.
“Job seekers can switch careers. We’ve got sales. We’ve got HR—things that people wouldn’t normally think of at a construction expo. There are a lot of job opportunities,” she said.
The only thing that matches the size of the expo is the need that the companies on display have for employees. As the demand for workers grows with the explosion of construction work across the state, Koerner believes that finding the right fit is as important as ever.
“You have to do what’s right for you as well. There’s lots of opportunities. There’s lots of growth in West Virginia right now. Just find the right thing for you. Take your time with it. You’ll figure out the right spot, the right employee for you, or the right employer for yourself,” he said.
The 2026 West Virginia Construction and Design Expo continues into its second day on Thursday and runs from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m.