OCALA, Fla. -- Thousands of new jobs have come to Ocala in the past several years to work for several large companies that have moved to the area, city officials say.
- AT&T, AutoZone, Chewy.com and more in Ocala area
- Ocala city leaders say the companies are hiring
- 2 large career fairs scheduled in August, September
AT&T's Ocala Call Center hired Kennesha Johnson last month.
"Customer service has always been a big thing for me. I love helping people, I enjoy talking to people, I love talking," she said.
She is part of the company's big hiring push.
"We're continuing to hire for the next several months bringing on dozen of new employees," said Richard Smith of AT&T Quality and Hiring.
Officials with the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership say other companies such as AutoZone, Chewy.com, McLane Company, Cardinal LG, Wells Pharmacy Network and R+L Global Logistics are also hiring.
It's good news for an area that officials say was hit harder than almost any other county in the state during the Great Recession.
Officials say the community has bounced back strong since 2012, and Johnson is happy to be part of a city officials say is booming right now.
"I'm commuting now, but my plans are to move to Ocala," Johnson said. "It's a great area."
CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion also has two large career fairs scheduled in the next few months: one for the health care industry on Aug. 22, and another for trades on Sept. 18.