On Tuesday morning before sunrise, tables and chairs for 50-plus businesses and colleges were unfolded and set-up in the Columbus High School auxiliary gymnasium.

In the hours that followed, each of the 1,300-plus CHS students walked through the Spring 2026 Career Expo and Job Fair.  Some discussed a  career with a local employer; others discovered an opportunity to job shadow. And for some, they got swag.

CHS junior, Ethan focused on maximizing his time and taking it all in.

“I’m just trying to see who’s all here and what they’re offering, really,” he said. “This isn’t the first time (attending) for me. But when we were freshmen, I didn’t know all of this was out there. Had I though, I might’ve asked more questions.”

Columbus High School Career Coordinator Cletus Arasmith called the annual Career Expo and Job Fair a “large undertaking.”  The long-running event provides a chance for community-based corporations to meet their future workforce and area college representatives to recruit potential enrollees. This is a headstart to post-graduate employment or education, Arasmith said. “They really get to take the lead and talk to (attendees).”

He stressed the continued interest of participants and the excitement they bring to engaging with CHS students.

“We hear a lot of ‘Hey we need kids; we need kids,’” Arasmith said of local employers and colleges.  “Here’s a chance to come here and talk to them directly and then they can see what you're all about.”

Columbus Community Hospital’s partnership with CHS, Melinda Allen says,  is incredibly valuable. 

Allen,  CCH’s Employment and Education Coordinator, said the event allows the hospital to support student successes and invest in the local workforce. “Talking directly with students in settings like this allows us to build early connections, share our passion for healthcare,” Allen said. 

Participants come prepared for questions and really have to utilize the brief window of time with students.

“It’s quick, yeah,” sophomore Alexis said. “The colleges gave out a lot of information. And (the counselors) gave us some things to ask and to have ready for today. It was good to see all the options for work and school when I graduate,”

The connections made Tuesday, Nick Kraus said, have huge benefits for Gregg Young Columbus. “The automotive industry is a people driven business. This event allows for instant relationships to be formed with the CHS students who are tomorrow’s workers that we are identifying today.”

Allen describes the  time CCH has with students as  “meaningful.”  “It continues to be a great opportunity for us to show our genuine interest in and excitement for the future of these students.”

CHS students' interests and needs vary, but Arasmith says that businesses are looking for all types of employees and that they’ve come to expect graduates to be quality workers. 

“There is such a broad, broad spectrum (of opportunities),” Arasmith said. “(The event) helps businesses see who's out there and talk to our kids. And they’re saying, ‘Wow.’”

“When we hire a CHS graduate,” Allen of CCH said, “we know we are welcoming someone who understands and supports our culture of care and community.”

Kraus said it “means the world”  to Gregg Young when they  hire a  graduate. “(It’s) the secret sauce to our current and future success.”  This is the second year Gregg Young Columbus attended the event. 

Jessie Kinnett has represented Behlen at the fair  for the last four years. She has seen up-close how the event helps all students  gain experience. Kinnett calls the conversations a confidence-builder in engaging with employers. “Those relationships mean a lot when it comes to them looking for a career or even just pointing them in the right direction from an employer perspective,” Kinnett said. “The connection to students is important as it helps drive their interest in our business and careers that we can offer them.”

For those who are early or undecided on a career path, Behlen and others offer internships and job shadowing. “We always encourage them to do an internship as it is like them doing a test drive before they commit to the career,” Kinnett said. 

Speaking to CHS students early opens up the dialogue for both the immediate and near future employee, Kraus said. “Identifying, growing, and retaining top talent is key in any business, and for GYAG starting at the CHS graduate level is a fundamental necessity for our current operations and future growth."