Consumer Alert: Need a job? Kodak is looking for 60 new employees in Rochester

ROCHESTR, N.Y. – Need a job? Kodak’s hiring. I learned about it while driving past the Kodak building on Lake Avenue. The company has a giant sign on the building that says, “We’re hiring.” You can’t miss it. I was so surprised I almost drove off the road. I was so shocked I knew I needed to investigate.

I learned that the company is adding more than 60 good paying jobs in Rochester. Most of the jobs are in the advanced materials and chemicals division. And many of the jobs are entry level requiring only a high school diploma. 

“For entry level manufacturing operators, we provide the training. So, we’re looking for high school graduates. They don’t need a college degree,” Terry Taber explained. Taber is Kodak’s Senior Vice President of Advanced Materials and Chemicals and Chief Technical Officer. “In addition to manufacturing operators, we’re hiring skilled trades and apprentices. “

Taber says they’re hiring folks with four-year degrees too. All this hiring likely comes as a surprise to Rochesterians who witnessed the company’s colossal collapse. Since its bankruptcy filing in 2012… Kodak has become an academic study in business failure. I found articles in everything from Harvard Business Review that concludes the company was neither nimble nor connected enough to current trends, to St. Bonaventure that says Kodak lacked innovation. No matter the reason for the failures, company leaders say the key to future success is doing what they know.

“What Kodak has always done well is chemical manufacturing, materials invention and deposition of materials into a variety of substrates,” said Taber. “I would say in that transition I would say in our transition, we did not always keep our focus on those areas of opportunity.”

Kodak has translated 100 years of chemical creation into making chemicals for everything from pharmaceuticals to batteries. As Kodak redefines itself, it wants the world to see the company through a different lens, one that will once again depict a vibrant member of the Rochester community.

Of course, I asked about pay. Taber told me those entry-level and apprentice positions pay around $20 an hour. Skilled trades people will earn $60,000 to $85,000. Those with a four-year degree will earn $80,000 to $100,000. Click here to view jobs available in Rochester.