In Wyoming County dozens of people were looking for jobs Friday or looking to make business connections flocked to the fairgrounds.
The Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce held a job fair near Meshoppen.
Almost 150 representatives from different companies set up shop and were looking to hire.
Dozens of folks packed the Wyoming County fairgrounds building near Meshoppen at this year's job fair.
The crowds made their way to the natural gas industry booths.
For Jon Miller of Dalton, who has been out of a job for about five months, checking out what the natural gas industry has to offer is what he has been hoping to do for a while.
"They're going to be here for a long time. I have a couple of friends that moved on to a gas company and they're making out pretty good. I figured I'd give it a try. I got nothing to lose," said Miller.
For others, the job fair is a place to make connections, to build relationships and to help get them more business.
"There are a lot of energy companies out there. We were looking to find a couple more to build our customer base," said Mike Vanesko of Pittston.
Organizers said about 135 vendors were at the job fair and about half of them are energy or natural gas industry related.
"We have ten to twelve positions open, but we're always looking to hire because we've got a growing business and we plan to be here for a long time, these are long-term positions that people can make a good living," says Mary Faucett of Southwestern Energy.
"We're always looking to hire as many local people as we can, they know the area, their families are here so they are more likely to stay, and they are a good work force," says Helen Humphreys of Williams. A local work force that has benefited from the natural gas industry boom.
"Since the natural gas industry, we now have restaurants that are packed every day. We have gift shops making more than they ever thought they could. Of course our housing is doing very well, because people now have the money to buy homes. We're very fortunate," said Maureen Dispenza, Executive Director at the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce.
Organizers said there are about 2,000 jobs posted for the natural gas industry.
If you're interested in checking out a list of the jobs offered, go to www.marcelluscoalition.org.