The stadium operations pieces are starting to fall into place as the inaugural season for the Wichita Wind Surge baseball team approaches.A two-day job fair Feb. 13 and 15 helped the team secure nearly 350 workers who will help ensure game days run smoothly and fans have an enjoyable experience at the stadium. Team representatives partnered with Syndeo and the Workforce Centers of South Central Kansas to help with hiring the seasonal workforce.Representatives from all three organizations conducted interviews during the job fair, with most people being offered employment on site pending the outcome of a background screening.Besides conducting interviews, Syndeo team members also assisted applicants with completing their background screening consent forms and guided people to the correct places during the application and interview process.Those involved say the job fair was a success.

“The job fair was an opportunity to meet with a large quantity of qualified candidates at one time,” says Connor Cross, Syndeo’s Director of Human Resources. “The success of the event was due to a great team of people and a great event space. We were excited to be able to partner with Wind Surge and could not have done it without the Workforce Center.”

Jared Forma, general manager for the Wind Surge, says he is impressed with the applicant pool the job fair attracted.“We thought it was tremendous, both Thursday and Saturday,” he says. “We hit all ages, all types of people, and we like it.”Applicant totals were comparable during both days of the job fair. The job positions the team hired for included:

• Fan hosts
• Ushers
• Ticket takers
• Greeters
• Concession workers
• Cooks
• Wait staff
• Hosts and hostesses
• Grounds crew

Some of those who attended the job fair are high school students in search of a summer job, while others are retirees wanting something fun to do to stay active. Some were in between jobs. Some viewed a job with the Wind Surge as a way to supplement a full-time job.Regardless of the reason, the job fair helped the team fill the bulk of its workforce needs.However, Forma says the team still has some openings that need to be filled, such as servers and bar tenders. Additional jobs may be added as needs arise.“As a starting point, this is a good start,” Forma says. “(The jobs total) is going to fluctuate until we learn our needs.”Click the jobs tab on the Wind Surge website for employment information on the team’s remaining openings.Those hired during the job fair will be contacted in the near future with orientation and training dates.The creation of the Wind Surge brings Minor League Baseball back to Wichita for the first time since the Wichita Wranglers were relocated to Springdale, Ark. following the completion of the 2007 season. The Wichita Wingnuts, an independent team, followed the Wranglers and played from 2008 to 2018.Team officials announced the Wind Surge name in November 2019 after months of speculation. That process included rolling out a series of name suggestions to get and keep people in the community talking about the team.The Wind Surge, a Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, will play its home games in a new stadium that is being built on the site of the former Lawrence-Dumont Stadium on the western edge of downtown Wichita.The season starts April 9 with a four-game series in Round Rock, Texas. The team's home opener is scheduled for April 14, marking the beginning of a new era for Minor League Baseball in Wichita.About us: As the Heartland’s leading employer services company, Syndeo partners with local business owners to help them minimize risk, improve efficiency and maximize profitability allowing them the freedom to focus on growth and fulfilling their mission. Syndeo fulfills its mission by taking on all of the HR responsibilities for our clients’ workforce, including employee relations, benefits, risk management and payroll.