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Some 100 Atmore and area residents seeking employment opportunities met with representatives of Atlas Industrial Outsourcing LLC Monday at city hall.

The Mobile company is a temporary staffing agency that recruits, trains and gives job opportunities to job seekers. Those who make it through the application process advance to the training aspect of the program. If the employees pass the training portion, they’re sent out to assist in high-pressure water blasting, hydro excavation, tanking cleaning and industrial vacuum work.

The town-hall like job fair opportunity was set up by Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Karean Reynolds.

Reynolds said the company is looking to hire between 50-100 people in the Atmore. He said they interviewed some Monday, and then will return for a three-day training course after they go through the applications.

“Their mission is to give second chances and opportunities to those that don’t have those opportunities,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds said he has a friend, Mark Glass, who served under him in the military. He said he made contact with the human resource director there.

Ryan Rhodes, Mobile branch manager, director of operations and chief information officer, said the company doesn’t think of itself as a temp agency.

“Most of us in the industry, we take people from all walks of life and train them to a certain type of task and give them opportunities to work,” Rhodes said.

Atlas Industrial Outsourcing is funded through private investments, Rhodes said. He said Three Doors Down lead guitarist Matt Roberts is a founder, and father, Daryl Roberts, is a part owner.

The company has been operating less than two years, and has seen success, Rhodes said.

“Within first year, we were in the black,” he said. “This year, to date, we are already at the point we made last year in billing, and we’re not even into our busiest season, yet.”

Fall and spring are Atlas’s busiest times of the year.

Rhodes said there is a lot of competition in the Mobile area in regard to temp agencies, but Atlas is different.

“They don’t do what we do,” he said. “We want to better each of our employees as they come through our doors.

“We live by four corps values — safety, strong work ethic, professionalism and honesty,” he said. “All four have to abide by these values or they see (Human Resources Director) Mr. James (McLaughlin).”

Comptroller Mark Glass, who served under Reynolds, said Atlas Industrial Outsourcing LLC CEO Brandyn Ulmer believes in helping others succeed.

“He’s done everything from doing payroll at 14 to day labor,” Glass said. “His philosophy is that if we can help another person, he’s happy. He wants society to be better.”