FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) – The December announcement of new jobs coming to the Shoals created a tremendous amount of buzz throughout northwest Alabama.

Braving the bitterly cold wind, people lined up outside the Marriott Shoals Conference Center early Tuesday morning in hopes of landing one of the open positions.

To keep up with current railcar demand, FreightCar America has up to 200 hundred slots to fill at its manufacturing facility in Barton.

“To start the year off with an announcement such as this and this event, it will bring some positive energy to the area,” said Tim Cook, manager of the Alabama Career Center in Sheffield.

According to Cook, he has seen a large mixture of people showing interest in the FreightCar America jobs.

He said some people are looking to advance their careers, while others are trying to pick up the pieces from recent layoffs.

In 2014, the Shoals lost nearly 2,000 jobs from plants that consolidated or closed their facilities.

“We have experienced some layoffs recently and those people are looking to re-enter the market. It’s a little bit of a slow turnaround, and when you’re announcing 200 jobs, that’s going to get a lot of attention,” explained Cook.

No matter what their personal circumstance is, Cook said the job fair should give hope to those seeking full-time employment again in the Shoals.

FreightCar America officials said they planned to make 150 to 200 jobs offers during Tuesday’s job fair.

All offers will be contingent on the applicant passing a drug screening and some additional training being offered through Alabama Industrial Development Training, or AIDT. Learn more at AIDT.edu.