Casper Tin Shop turns down a dollar in business for every dollar made, due primarily to a shortage in qualified workers, said owner Dave Woodward.

The heating and air conditioning company owner goes so far as to recruit workers from Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin to fill the gaps an increasing number of construction projects are causing.

"The volume of our business is absolutely related to the number of people I can find to do the work," Woodward said. "We've moved past putting an ad in the paper; we have a whole recruitment program we are using."

But the problem doesn't end with finding workers.

"As soon as we gain a relationship with someone, finding housing in Casper is the next hurdle," he said. "There are a number of people who we structure a deal with and then we lose because we can't find a place for them to live."

Woodward isn't the only one in Casper with more work than employees.

David Bullard, senior economist for the Wyoming Department of Employment, said construction jobs are up 7.4 percent from September 2006 to this September.

"That is really strong growth," he said.

Bullard said construction employment has been increasing since 2002 at about 100 jobs per year. In the past 12 months, 200 construction jobs were added to the Casper community.

This makes construction the second-highest growing field in Casper. Leisure and hospitality went up slightly more at 10.5 percent.

The increase in jobs is a result of an increase in construction projects, said Casper's Building Inspections and Permitting Manager Doug Barrett. Building permits have doubled this year over last.

Craig Earl, spokesman for Mobile Concrete, said his business isn't doing too bad, but it's an employees' market right now.

"We are battling the same thing everyone else is," Earl said.

The rebar business is also feeling a labor crunch, and Teton Steel General Manager Taylor Ranker blames part of the shortage on high wages in the energy field.

"They pay humongous wages and a very high rate to truckers," Ranker said. "People ask themselves, 'Why haul rebar for this when we will get more from the energy people?'"

Rich Fairservis, president of W.N. McMurry Construction Co., said he is facing a lack of subcontractors.

"Labor is hard to find," he said. "There is a lack of people, and where we are missing the boat is with work-force housing, and if we don't have housing we won't entice people to move to the state."

Woodward said he is trying to offset the housing shortage by helping people move and find places to rent.

"I have a bunch of rentals around town and use those as a staging ground for some of these guys," he said. "The problem is when they want to bring their families - and those are the ones we are after - to find affordable housing."

He also pays a potential employee to come to Casper for one week of work with his family and hopes that will help build a relationship and encourage the person to come to Casper for good.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@casperstartribune.net.