Small business has always been the engine that drives American jobs but even the best engine can’t run without fuel.

“Service companies tell us – and economic indicators bear it out – that it’s getting harder and harder to find new employees to backfill experienced service pros who are retiring,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “We’re hoping to help turn this tide.”

Hicks will kick off the inaugural Angie’s List Service Industry Job Fair Friday, August 28, 2015, at her corporate headquarters in Indianapolis. The event will connect more than 25 Central Indiana companies that are highly rated on Angie’s List looking to fill positions ranging from management to sales to entry level general labor.

“We’re starting small, hoping to learn how best to make these connections, but we intend to replicate it in markets across the country,” Hicks said. “These are great jobs that can lead to lucrative careers, and consumers get the benefit of great customer service. It’s a win for everyone.”

The National Federation of Independent Business’s small business optimism index was up in February 2015 and optimism in the small business sector is high. But finding good workers remains a problem, according to the NFIB, reporting that jobs hard to fill increased to 29 percent and 89 percent of companies looking for workers said they were seeing few or no applicants qualified for open positions.

Karen Mills, former Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and currently a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Business School where her work on U.S. competitiveness, small business and entrepreneurship includes the economic impact of the job skills gap, said efforts like Angie’s List are a model for the stronger role the business community can take in tackling this issue.

“The skills gap among small business employers is a growing economic concern and the solutions have to span beyond just a fix for one small business," Mills said. "Few organizations can reach as many companies in the service industry, which is why it's interesting to see a corporation like Angie's List reaching out to help make these connections. If service industry companies can’t fill their employment needs, the long-term impact for consumers could eventually hit very close to home with greater difficulty finding good help and poorer quality work being performed.”

That’s exactly the situation Hicks wants to avoid.

“Our members are used to a high level of service and we want to help them keep getting it,” she said.

The inaugural job fair is Friday, August 28, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Angie’s List corporate headquarters at 1030 E. Washington Street.

The job fair is open to anyone hoping to land a successful career in any of the available positions. Representatives from the companies offering jobs will be on hand at the Angie’s List corporate headquarters to accept resumes, interview applicants and discuss opportunities.

Applicants can download a basic job application on the Angie’s List website or complete one at the job fair. Applicants are encouraged to bring resumes. Available positions to be at the fair run the gamut of entry level and skilled labor, including:

  • Carpentry
  • Cabinet installation
  • Carpet cleaning
  • Concrete pouring
  • Customer service
  • Dance instructor
  • Drywall installation
  • General Labor
  • Flooring installation
  • Front office / scheduling
  • Gutter installation/repair
  • Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning technician
  • Jewelry sales
  • Landscaping/yard work
  • Management
  • Painting
  • Plumbing
  • Property manager
  • Sales
  • Security technician
  • Siding installation
  • Snow removal
  • Tile setting
  • Window installation

Angie’s List (NASDAQ: ANGI), a national online marketplace and consumer review service, helps facilitate happy transactions between more than three million consumers nationwide and its collection of highly rated service providers in 720 categories of service, ranging from home improvement to health care. Built on a foundation of authentic reviews of local service, Angie's List connects consumers directly to its online marketplace of services from member-reviewed providers, and offers unique tools and support designed to improve the local service experience for both consumers and service professionals.