FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): More than 50 area businesses, employment agencies and service organizations will be participating in a veterans hiring event at IPFW next week.

The 4th annual “Veterans 1st” event will be held in the IPFW International Ballroom on May 4th from 9am to 2pm, with the first three hours reserved exclusively for veterans, spouses and employable dependents. The general public can enter starting at noon.

This is the first year the event has been opened to the general public, with industries like distribution, health care, social services, and manufacturing among those in attendance.

A number of area colleges will also have representatives on-hand.

The event is being hosted by Northeast Indiana Works; IPFW Military Student Services; Lutheran Health Network; Fort Wayne Metals; the Northeast Indiana Human Resources Association; the Society for Human Resource Management; the Northeast Indiana Base Community Council, and WorkOne Northeast.