TalentFEST 2025 Brings Nearly 300 Job Seekers to Downtown Rochester
September 16, 2025 (ROCHESTER, NY) – On Saturday, September 13, 2025 Greater Rochester Chamber presented its fourth annual TalentFEST event, presented as part of our CampusROC program. The event brought over 275 career-seekers from all backgrounds, including college students, recent grads, veterans, career changers, remote workers, and more together in Downtown Rochester for a high-energy career fair and community festival. Over 40 employer partners participated in the event, hiring for roles across industries, function areas, seniorities, and backgrounds.
This year’s festival welcomed more than doubled the number of community participants from 2024’s annual event. First launched in 2021, the festival has evolved to support more inclusive hiring practices and expanded offering for the broader community. By removing the formality and pressure associated with a traditional career fair, TalentFEST helps employers and career seekers connect on a deeper, more personal level. In addition to relationship building, the event featured live music, yard games, giveaways, and over $1,000 in raffle prizes.
Bob Duffy, President & CEO, Greater Rochester Chamber, said, “High-quality talent is the number one key to any organization’s success–and ensuring that homegrown talent stays here is critical to the future success of our Greater Rochester region. Greater Rochester Chamber is proud to play a role in helping keep that talent here. From connecting job-seekers to meaningful careers to showcasing the ways our community is a great place to live, work, and play, we’re developing holistic approaches to address regional talent needs. Thank you to Community Bank and all of our sponsors and partners for supporting this work, and to all of the employers and career seekers who joined us for bringing the energy to Saturday’s festival.”
This event supports Greater Rochester Chamber’s broader role of working with employers to strengthen the workforce, build resilient talent pipelines, and expand access to meaningful careers. We deliver strategic programs, connections, and on-demand support to help your business hire, grow, and thrive—right here, where community meets capability.
TalentFEST 2025 was made possible thanks to the support of our presenting sponsor, Community Bank N.A., supporting sponsor, St. John Fisher University, and partners OneROC and Innovation Square. CampusROC and TalentFEST are supported in part by Greater Rochester Chamber Foundation.
To see photos and press coverage, visit CampusROC.org/TalentFEST. To learn more about how to get involved with this event in the future and other CampusROC opportunities to connect with students, please contact CampusROC Program Manager Andrea Tuttle at Andrea.Tuttle@GreaterRochesterChamber.com.