Two local businesses create new jobs

SIGN-UP: Get breaking news sent to you

In the midst of this recession, it's rare to see a new car dealership open its doors and hiring.

"We just hired four sales people, four mechanics, we're looking for more," said Kent Putnam from Putnam Automotive of Burlingame.

Putnam of Putnam Automotive of Burlingame just got THE Subaru franchise.

Even though sales of Subaru were off by nearly three percent in March, the company has had steady gains even during this recession.

This new franchise is expected to help Putnam offset its loses at the other lots.

"We've got Toyota, Mazda, you've got Volvo, one gets hot you're ok, one cools off, you've got the other ones to rely on," said Putna,

While the hotel industry is having a tough time surviving, a new hotel, the Rosewood Sand Hill, opened yesterday in Menlo Park with 123 rooms.

It's owned by Stanford University and managed by Rosewood. The company will fill a void that existed on Sand Hill Road.

"A lot of the venture capitalist businesses that are in town will now have something that they can go locally," said Picole Lamar from Rosewood Sand Hill.

When it came to hiring the 200 plus employees for this hotel, more than 1,000 applicants showed up at the job fair last February.

Among them was Carl Payne, an unemployed electrician looking for a job. We found him working at the new hotel as a door man.

Cara Nonnenberg is also a recent hire.

"I started my job search in August. Couldn't find anything, applied to about one hundred places and Rosewood was really one of the only places that was hiring in this area, so I feel very fortunate," said Nonnenberg.

"Don't give up, there are always jobs out there. They are very hard to find because there are a lot of people that are going out, but you sell yourself the right, personality goes a long way," said Payne.

Related link: