New Website Aims to Make Search for Marcellus Shale Jobs Efficient 

Washington PA Observer Reporter
8 November 2010

When Joe Barone and his business partner launched PaGasDirectory.com earlier this year, the idea was to provide a website for gas industry workers who have relocated to Pennsylvania either permanently or temporarily to find things they need, including local restaurants, barbers, movie theaters or places to purchase supplies.

Within a few weeks of the launch the site was getting tens of thousands of hits from across Pennsylvania and Barone was able to use it as a place to survey the needs of his users to develop a clearer picture of workers to help businesses better service them. One early survey revealed the need for more Mexican Restaurants and more upscale stores, as well has housing that included four bedrooms and two baths.

Now Barone, a former Philadelphia advertising executive who now crisscrosses Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale hot spots, including Washington and Greene counties, has launched a second site, MarcellusShaleJobs.com

The Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Play is anticipated to produce 200,000 direct and indirect job opportunities over the next decade. A regional study conducted earlier this year on Marcellus job demands in Washington, Greene, Westmoreland, Fayette and Beaver counties projects that within the next four years, there will be between 8,000 and 13,000 jobs.

http://www.MarcellusShaleJobs.com was developed to assist those seeking employment in the natural gas industry, particularly in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

"A primary goal of MarcellusShaleJobs.com is to provide an affordable, user-friendly web site to facilitate the linking of potential employees with employers and provide employers with a central location to post employment opportunities," Barone said. "The mission of the site is to deliver better job candidates faster, which is critical to employers as their need for workers grows almost exponentially."

By registering with MarcellusShaleJobs.com, people interested in seeking employment in the gas and oil industry in the Marcellus Shale region can easily submit resumes or complete applications to be advanced to employers hiring in the region.

A nominal registration fee entitles registrants unlimited opportunities to submit a resume for a 6-month subscription period.

Barone said the web site is working closely with the gas industry, chambers of commerce, professional organizations, educational programs and workforce associations to be a resource for data, job postings, resumes and up to date information regarding the Marcellus Shale and its economic impact in the region.