BUTLER TWP — Hard working, reliable, mature, resilient, adaptable and motivated.

Those were some of the words employers used Wednesday morning to describe veterans and the characteristics they hoped to attract to their companies during the annual Hiring Our Heroes Job Fair at VA Butler Healthcare’s main campus.

Part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s program geared to employing veterans and military spouses, more than 40 businesses and a handful of veterans service organizations attended the event.

By the end of the morning, about 200 people from the tri-state region had registered, said Emily Munoz, the eastern regional events associate for Hiring Our Heroes.

“You can see people’s perspectives shift,” she said of the opportunities presented to veterans.

Munoz, also a military spouse, said when veterans see so many businesses that seek their skills and show appreciation, it provides the encouragement to enter careers using the skills they have learned through service or even the confidence to pursue new careers.

One such person offering that encouragement was Diane McGowan of Lifesteps.

A recruiter for the Butler Township-based human services organization, she was looking to fill direct care, assistant supervisor and support positions. However, as a veteran herself who served in the Navy during the Gulf War, she also was there to encourage veterans and to help them learn about supportive services.

“I think it taught me a lot about responsibility and serving others,” she said of her time in the military and how it has helped her advance at Lifesteps.

Another veteran working to help his brethren was Phil Smaretsky of IPC Energy Services, a Lancaster Township business that provides cleanup and containment-related services on gas well sites.

Smaretsky served in the Navy for nine years, and among his duties was searching for and detecting underwater mines. When he completed his service about a year ago, he remained in the reserves while starting to work as a tractor-trailer driver.

However, when he learned about IPC, he was excited for the opportunity to work in the energy field. And while he said he has only been with the company for about two months, he already has climbed the ladder from general laborer and truck driver to logistics supervisor.

“I definitely think my military background helped get that quick step,” he said, adding about five of IPC’s 30 employees are veterans.

“The vets we already employ are extremely reliable,” he said of the company’s goal of hiring more to fill several positions.

Ron Kubitz and Nancy Reynolds of the Brayman Construction Corp. in Clinton Township also praised veterans’ reliability.

“Usually, you can plug them in and let them go,” Kubitz said, explaining veterans tend to be high-quality employees who seek advancement.

Reynolds, recruiting for union positions, said the industry is in need of a new generation of workers.

She added veterans’ willingness to work outside and travel is a great fit for the construction industry.

Kristen Bastaja of Penn United Technologies said she was excited about several candidates who had expressed interest in the Jefferson Township-based precision manufacturer.

“It’s definitely been a good morning,” she said, explaining the company has about 10 vacant positions to fill.

She also was telling veterans that the GI Bill pays for apprenticeship programs.

Bastaja added a number of the company’s 600 or so employees have military experience and that their names are displayed in one of the buildings.

Shannon Snow of JADCO Manufacturing, a steel service center in Jackson Township, also hoped to add more veterans to its work force of about 110.

She said the family owned business is happy to employ reservists and hold their positions while they are called to serve.

“We’re here totally because of our people in the military,” she said.