McCain stages first hiring event for Othello plant expansion

MOSES LAKE — On the first day of the McCain Foods hiring event Tuesday, Tiffiny Hollingsworth said there were people ready to interview even before the doors opened.

“We were really excited to have people waiting for us when we arrived,” Hollingsworth, a human resources business partner with the Canada-based potato processor. “This is a good turnout.”

Tuesday was the first day of a three-day hiring event at WorkSource Central Basin in Moses Lake as McCain Foods looks to find 80 people to staff its expanding Othello facility. The company is investing around $300 million and the expansion will allow the company to double its production in Othello.

The company also has hiring events at WorkSource from 3-7 p.m. Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

“We are the largest frozen french fry manufacturer on the globe,” Hollingsworth said. “One out of every four frozen fries is a McCain fry.”

Hollingsworth said the company is looking to fill a variety of roles, from entry level employees to experienced line operators to production programmers to skilled electricians and mechanics, to help keep production lines properly maintained. In addition, Hollingsworth said McCain is also still looking for “a few supervisors, as well.”

“We’re looking to hire in the coming months, and we should wrap up in August,” she said.

Entry-level workers can expect to start at around $15 per hour, while more experienced machine operators can expect to start around $17 per hour and maintenance staff can start at $25 per hour.

“That’s where people can generally predict they will start,” she said. “But we assess the attributes and experience of each person we interview.”

In addition, McCain Foods offers a full suite of employment benefits — health, vision and dental insurance, a retirement plan, education assistance, adoption and infertility assistance, and paid maternity leave.

Hollingsworth said even as the COVID-19 restrictions unwind, McCain has found it difficult to find the people it needs to fully staff its expanded Othello facility.

“I won’t pretend it’s not a challenge,” she said. “It’s definitely a tough job market these days, and there are lots of good employers out there looking for folks.”

However, Hollingsworth said what sets McCain Foods apart is the company offers good, “purpose-driven” work that provides a “good quality of life.”

“We’re proud of that,” she said.

For more information, visit mccainothello.com/careers/.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.