Posted at: 11/03/2009 7:14 PM
By: Dan Conradt

Hundreds Apply for Inn Jobs

(ABC 6 NEWS) -- Albert Lea's biggest hotel is about to re-open for business.

When the Albert Lea Inn closed in April, it meant a loss of jobs in an already tough economy.

As new owners prepare to open the hotel, it means new jobs and a snapshot into an economy that still hasn't healed.

Freeborn County's unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in September. There were 1,299 county residents listed as unemployed, and for many of them, this sign was an invitation.

"We�ve had tremendous response from people to come in and gather applications," says Mike Nevins, owner of the Albert Lea Inn.

As the Albert Lea Inn prepares to re-open, it's attracting job seekers by the dozens.

"We handed out about a hundred and twenty in the last week and before that we had another 50," Nevins says.

And Angela Kesler is one of them.

"For the last year my job has been filling out applications. I've applied at a couple hotels, I�ve applied at a lot of restaurants, gas stations, stuff like that," Kesler says.

"It sounds like a lot of people are unemployed or not happy with where they're working today," says Nevins.

"There are a lot of people looking for a job," Kesler says.

And while that makes it more difficult to find a job...

"There�s really not a lot out there you can fill out applications until your hands are numb," Kesler says.

... It's good news for companies looking for employees.

"Fortunately for us we've had a good response of people that have experience in the industry, in the hotel business doing a variety of positions," Nevins says.

"I found out that they were reopening and they were accepting applications, and I figured it would be a fun place to work," Kesler says.

The Albert Lea Inn could open as soon as this weekend, with a start-up staff to get the business open again

It's a story being repeated all around the state.

Freeborn County�s unemployment rate was close to Minnesota�s seasonally adjusted 7.3 percent in September.