Big, comfortable office chairs face the 20 flat-screen computers arranged in circles.

Nearby a couple of cafe tables stand next to big-screen TVs displaying job postings and special events on the wall. And in the corner there's a future coffee bar flanked by tall windows and a patio.

The new Johnson County Workforce Center is a welcoming place to get help finding a job.

It was designed to feel less bureaucratic and more inviting, not only for traditional job center clients who may be unemployed or lacking skills, but also for people who have a job and skills but want something better.

'We think we've got something to help out everyone,' says Scott Anglemyer, executive director of Workforce Partnership, which runs the center at 9221 Quivira Road. The center recently moved from 8417 Santa Fe Drive.

'The physical changes are a representation of a totally different way of doing things,' Anglemyer says. 'What you thought we were before, we aren't anymore.'

Cosmetics aren't the only big change. The new center has five times more space -- about 24,000 square feet. The extra space will allow new and better services for both job seekers and employers.

Rows and rows of private cubicles will house 'partners' from various workforce agencies in a single location, creating a one-stop career center.

'We identify what program and provider best suits them,' said Irene Brenon, project manager for Workforce Partnership. She says the goal is to provide multiple sources of service in a manner so seamless that 'a customer doesn't even know.'

Some of the partners are well established, such as the state Department of Commerce, Job Corps and Kansas Rehabilitation Services. But there is also room for potential new partners such as the Enterprise Center of Johnson County, Anglemyer says.

The center also has large meeting rooms with computers for training and testing groups of 10 or more. Job seekers can take aptitude tests or learn new skills. Businesses can attend workshops on hiring, labor law and other employment issues.

'We are an extension of their human resources, or we may be their human resources in a small company,' Brenon says.

The workforce center also has space to bring employers and job seekers together right on site. One room is big enough for job fairs, with kitchen space for catering. Several small meeting rooms equipped with computers and phones are set up for employers to work. Anglemyer says some businesses don't have enough space or the right kind of space to conduct hiring, while others may be new to Johnson County and not yet have established office space.

'We really want to create an office away from an office for employers,' he says.

In addition to the physical changes, a new nine-member Business Service Team has been established to reach out and involve businesses.

'Those staff will call on businesses to see what their needs are,' Brenon says. 'We're paying special attention to the employer community. That's something that was never in place before.'

Increased communication with businesses will help provide balance in the center's services.

'If we don't serve employers well, we don't serve job seekers well,' Anglemyer says. 'We need to constantly focus on what the employers' needs are.'

The new location and services are a result of a switch to private management at centers in Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties, which had been run by the Kansas Department of Commerce until last July. The centers are still federally funded but now are run by the Wisconsin-based Kaiser Group under the Workforce Partnership name. Kaiser manages the centers with oversight by a non-profit board of members from the business community.The Wyandotte center was expanded earlier this year, and a $285,000 mobile unit was purchased to serve the three counties.

Remodeling to create the Johnson County center cost about $700,000.

Anglemyer says the changes were needed: 'We just couldn't do the things that are ultimately going to make us successful.'

New location

The Johnson County Workforce Center has moved to a larger, newly remodeled location that includes more meeting space and expanded banks of public computers for job seekers to browse job listings and work on resumes.

Location: 9221 Quivira Road, Overland Park

For job seekers: Job search help, career advice, resume preparation, recruiting events, bilingual services, veterans services and a mature worker program.

For employers: Candidate recruitment, proficiency testing, workshops, interview and meeting space, mobile career center.