Market report · Rochester, NY
The State of Outbound Sales in Rochester, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Rochester, NY metro right now: who the buyers are, which trades have room, what is being built, what a rep costs to hire here. Then a 4-tool kit to work the market this month.
- 2,401business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #57 of our 100 metros
- 16buyer sites per electrical contractor, #5 of 100 markets: the best rank of any trade here
Sites: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; rank among the 100 metros on our market pages. Room: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 sites per contractor in U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1, among markets with at least 10 contractors.
Executive summary Read this if nothing else
5 things to know about outbound sales in Rochester
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 624 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Rochester, ahead of retail stores (526).
Where the metro leans
Churches and religious organizations: 6.74x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: golf courses and country clubs (2.31x) and senior living and nursing (1.78x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Commercial Electrical: #5 of 100 markets
16 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 83 local electrical contractors. The most crowded is commercial landscaping, #72 of 100.
Biggest reason to call
Strong Memorial Hospital Expansion
Topped out September 2025, completion early 2027. One of 9 named, sourced projects in this report.
Hiring locally
$124,700 for an in-house SDR's first year (illustrative)
At a $55,000 base salary, once commission, payroll taxes and benefits, tools, recruiting and training, turnover and manager time are added, before ramp time.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1; project sources as of 2026-09; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Full list at the end.
Chapter 01 The market
Who buys in Rochester
2,401 business sites in Rochester have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #57 of the 100 metros we publish. Here is what those buyers are and where they sit.
The largest buyer categories
Sites with 20 or more people are the ones worth an SDR's time: big enough to have a facility lead, a service budget and a contract that comes up for renewal. The "vs. U.S. mix" column compares each category's share of local employment with its national share (1.00x is the U.S. average).
| Category | Sites with 20+ | All sites | vs. U.S. mix | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RestaurantsLargest pool | 624 | 2,277 | 1.28x | -57 |
| Retail stores | 526 | 3,224 | 1.23x | -84 |
| Manufacturing plants | 424 | 1,173 | 1.39x | -15 |
| Wholesale distributors | 208 | 1,064 | 0.84x | -30 |
| Senior living and nursing | 192 | 461 | 1.78x | +2 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 189 | 1,508 | 0.80x | -8 |
| Grocery stores | 83 | 556 | 1.48x | -22 |
| Auto dealerships | 77 | 185 | 1.54x | -4 |
| Private K-12 schools | 45 | 82 | 1.48x | 0 |
| Hotels | 38 | 101 | 0.75x | 0 |
Rochester leans toward churches and religious organizations (6.74x), golf courses and country clubs (2.31x) and senior living and nursing (1.78x). A trade that already sells to those buyers elsewhere has a deeper pool here than the national numbers suggest, and a case study from one of them travels well on the phone.
It is thinner than the U.S. mix in trucking companies (0.69x) and hotels (0.75x). A program built around those buyers runs out of fresh accounts sooner here.
Growing fastest over the past year, by establishment count: hosting and data processing companies (+4), senior living and nursing (+2) and bank and credit union offices (+2). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Rochester, NY: 5 counties in this report's counts.
Monroe County, Ontario County and Wayne County hold 92% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Monroe CountyStart here | 1,807 | 75% |
| Ontario County | 290 | 12% |
| Wayne County | 119 | 5% |
| Livingston County | 78 | 3% |
| Orleans County | 40 | 2% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Rochester
Buyer sites per contractor is a rough read on how crowded a trade is: more sites for each local competitor means more doors nobody else is knocking on. Each trade's Rochester figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial ElectricalMost room | #5 of 100 | 16 | 83 | -1 |
| Commercial Construction | #6 of 100 | 8.5 | 116 | -2 |
| Commercial Roofing | #7 of 89 | 110 | 13 | 0 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #13 of 100 | 14 | 71 | 0 |
| Managed Service Providers | #18 of 100 | 4.9 | 272 | +9 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #31 of 86 | 76 | 21 | -2 |
| Commercial Flooring | #35 of 68 | 68 | 13 | 0 |
| Fire Protection | #50 of 96 | 43 | 37 | +2 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #49 of 94 | 40 | 30 | -1 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #66 of 100 | 3.3 | 340 | -8 |
| Commercial Landscaping | #72 of 100 | 3.2 | 427 | -13 |
Commercial electrical (#5), commercial construction (#6) and commercial roofing (#7) rank best in Rochester. For those trades a program can work longer before it calls the same building twice, and fewer competitors have already pitched each owner.
Commercial landscaping is the most crowded trade here, #72 of 100: 3.2 buyer sites for each of 427 local commercial landscaping contractors. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Commercial landscaping (-13) and commercial cleaning & janitorial (-8) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Managed service providers (+9) and fire protection (+2) added them.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Rochester yet. We take one client per trade per territory, so ask before you plan around it.
Chapter 03 The projects
What is being built, and who owns the buildings
9 named, sourced projects and 7 anchor owners in Rochester. Each one is a reason to call that has nothing to do with your company and everything to do with the buyer's building.
The projects
- 01 Strong Memorial Hospital Expansion Topped out September 2025, completion early 2027 A nine-story patient tower with more than 100 private rooms and an emergency department expansion that will more than triple its size, at UR Medicine's Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Through early 2027 the tower is in its interior phase: healthcare HVAC, electrical, fire protection, flooring and painting across 200-plus new treatment and observation stations, then long-term service contracts once open. 13WHAM, 2025-09-22
- 02 · $72.3 million Gateway Apartments Construction started May 2026 Conversion of a seven-story 1905 office building in downtown Rochester, vacant for 20 years, into 129 all-electric affordable apartments. Office-to-residential conversions are interior-heavy: new all-electric HVAC, electrical distribution, sprinklers, flooring and painting on every floor of an older building. Office of the Governor of New York, 2026-05-05
- 03 · $20.9 million Rochester Regional Health Unity Campus Expansion Construction began April 27, 2026, completion late 2026 An $8.9 million oncology expansion doubling infusion bays at the Lipson Cancer Institute and a $12 million outpatient imaging center in the Unity Professional Office Building in Greece. Imaging suites with MRI and CT and a new oncology pharmacy need specialized electrical, HVAC and shielded interior buildouts, with finish trades closing out by late 2026. Rochester Regional Health, 2026-04-07
- 04 · $14.5 million RochesterWorks Career Center at MCC Downtown Broke ground August 2026, opening fall 2027 A 24,000 sq ft workforce development center at Monroe Community College's Downtown campus in Rochester. A mid-size public build with mechanical, electrical, flooring and finish packages through 2027, then janitorial and maintenance contracts after opening. Monroe County, 2026-08-04
- 05 · $23 million McAlpin Industries Webster manufacturing facility Announced July 2025, production scheduled to begin late 2026 A 300,000 sq ft sheet metal fabrication and light manufacturing facility for McAlpin Industries on Hard Road in Webster, expected to create up to 52 jobs. A new 300,000 sq ft plant needs a full general construction package, a sprinkler system sized for manufacturing, and truck and employee parking paving, with roofing and electrical service for laser cutting and welding lines. Area Development, 2025-08-01
- 06 · $48.7 million Pittsford Central School District 2026 Capital Project Approved by voters March 5, 2026 A district-wide capital project at multiple Pittsford schools covering roof replacements, boiler and chiller replacements, new air conditioning in assembly areas, corridor floor tile replacement, generators, playground equipment and parking lot repaving. A voter-approved package like this turns into bid packages for parking lot repaving, roof replacement and coatings, corridor flooring and mechanical replacement over the next few construction seasons. Pittsford Central School District, 2026-03
- 07 Marketplace Mall redevelopment Town permits approved May 2026, state approval pending The conversion of the closed Marketplace Mall in Henrietta into a medical, educational, residential and civic complex, including a new URMC Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Institute and a new Mary Cariola Children's Center. Parts of the mall will be demolished and rebuilt because the roof and foundations cannot carry the air handling the new medical and school uses need, which means new construction with fire protection, and town conditions add circle road repairs and a new park with walking trails. 13WHAM, 2026-05-29
- 08 University of Rochester Student Life building and Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life Construction began August 2026, opening fall 2027 A two-story, 15,000 sq ft building on Intercampus Drive on the University of Rochester's River Campus with a lobby, a divisible ballroom and rehearsal space, plus a new home for the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life. A new assembly building with a ballroom needs a general contractor, sprinkler and fire alarm systems, HVAC, and flooring for event and rehearsal space before the fall 2027 opening. University of Rochester, 2026-07-31
- 09 RIT summer 2026 campus improvement program Summer 2026, fourth year of a five-year plan Nearly 100 construction and renovation projects across the Rochester Institute of Technology campus in Henrietta, focused on residence halls, classrooms and outdoor spaces. The work list includes new fire alarms, masonry and roofing on residence halls, tree planting near pedestrian areas and resealing, patching and restriping of parking areas, with one more year left in RIT's five-year plan. Rochester Institute of Technology, 2026-06-03
Projects current as of 2026-09; each source is linked on its card. Values are as reported by the source.
The anchor owners
Health systems, campuses, large employers and industrial parks hold the biggest concentrations of commercial buildings in Rochester. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Rochester, Monroe County
Strong Memorial Hospital
Strong Memorial Hospital has 886 beds.
The University of Rochester Medical Center's main hospital, with inpatient towers, clinics, research space and parking.
University of Rochester Medical CenterCampus · Rochester, Monroe County
University of Rochester
With more than 39,000 employees, the University of Rochester combined with UR Medicine and affiliates is the largest private employer in Greater Rochester and upstate New York.
A research university and health system with academic campuses, hospitals and affiliated facilities across the region.
University of RochesterAirport · Rochester, Monroe County
Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC)
Total passenger volume at ROC reached 2,797,112 in 2025, a 4.8% rise over 2024.
A county-owned airport with a passenger terminal, parking, airfield pavement and cargo operations.
Monroe County Airport AuthorityIndustrial park · Rochester, Monroe County
Eastman Business Park
Eastman Business Park covers 1,200 acres with 16 million square feet of building space zoned for manufacturing, distribution, office and laboratories.
A former Kodak manufacturing campus now shared by many industrial tenants, with about 200 acres available for development.
Eastman Kodak CompanyMajor employer · Rochester, Monroe County
Wegmans Food Markets
The City of Rochester's 2025 ACFR, citing the Rochester Business Journal, lists Wegmans Food Markets with 12,686 employees, third among private employers in the area.
A Rochester-based grocer with headquarters offices, stores and distribution facilities across the region.
City of RochesterMajor employer · Rochester, Monroe County
Paychex
The City of Rochester's 2025 ACFR, citing the Rochester Business Journal, lists Paychex Inc. with 4,527 employees in the Rochester area.
A locally headquartered payroll company with corporate office campuses in Monroe County.
City of RochesterMajor employer · Rochester, Monroe County
L3Harris Technologies
The City of Rochester's 2025 ACFR, citing the Rochester Business Journal, lists L3Harris Technologies Inc. with 3,700 employees in the Rochester area.
Defense electronics engineering and manufacturing buildings in the Rochester area.
City of RochesterAnchor facts checked 2026-10; each source is linked on its card.
Which trades the work touches
| Trade | Projects and owners |
|---|---|
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 14 |
| Commercial Electrical | 10 |
| Fire Protection | 9 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 8 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 7 |
| Commercial Roofing | 6 |
| Commercial Flooring | 6 |
| Commercial Construction | 4 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 4 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 3 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Rochester selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Rochester metro's counties, month by month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail and damaging wind reportstotal, 2015 to 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 50 | 167 | 129 | 122 | 20 | 48 | 6 | 0 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 87 | 190 | 155 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 1,256 | 1,094 | 975 | 595 | 270 | 52 | 12 | 25 | 120 | 439 | 746 | 1,064 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 32 | 34 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
NOAA logged 26 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 532 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #72 of 100 markets for hail and #31 for wind. June, July and August carried 75% of the reports. Storms are not the main driver here, so roof age, leaks and budget timing carry the roofing conversation.
The metro averages 498 cooling degree days a year (#83 of 97 markets) and 6,648 heating degree days (#13 of 97). Cooling load peaks in July and August; heating in January, February, March, November and December. Peak months are when HVAC calls lead with service and response times; the rest of the year they lead with planned work and budgets.
5 months average a high of 60°F or more (May, June, July, August and September). That is when exterior painting, paving and landscaping crews are busiest, so in-season calls catch owners while they can see the work that needs doing. The contracts themselves are bid on each property's own dates, so the selling runs all year.
Trades with no weather season
Cleaning, construction, electrical, flooring and fire protection sell on contract end dates, budgets and inspection cycles. Learn each account's date on the first call and come back before it.
Chapter 05 The numbers
What one meeting takes, trade by trade
What booking a meeting has taken on our own calling floor for the trades we run in Rochester, next to the records we can prospect here. The sales center figures are national; it does not break them out by city yet.
| Trade | Dials per appointment | Reached proposal | Proposals won | Dials for 10 meetings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire ProtectionFastest to book | 78 | 21.6% | 13.2% | about 780 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 86 | 32.2% | 7.4% | about 860 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 88 | 18.8% | 12.7% | about 880 |
| Commercial Electrical | 96 | 14.6% | 21.1% | about 960 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 98 | 16.6% | 24.9% | about 980 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 115 | 31.2% | 14.4% | about 1,150 |
| Commercial Flooring | 122 | 30.8% | 9.8% | about 1,220 |
| Commercial Roofing | 140 | 25.9% | 16.1% | about 1,400 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 142 | 23.9% | 21.7% | about 1,420 |
| Managed Service Providers | 162 | 10.0% | 20.5% | about 1,620 |
All of these trades together: 122 dials per appointment
The records behind a Rochester program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls territory.
- 3,081Commercial Roofing
- 3,081Commercial Construction
- 1,367Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 1,100Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial
Source: Abstrakt territory record counts, as of October 2026: estimated decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each program in the territory. Shown for the programs the count covers.
Read it this way
Divide the records by the dials one meeting takes and you see how long a list lasts before it repeats. A thin list means a program has to work every record well, not just call more.
Chapter 06 Build or buy
What an in-house SDR costs in Rochester
Before you hire a sales development rep in Rochester, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 3,510 people hold the role in the Rochester, NY metro, and every one of their employers is competing for the same hires.
| Cost | Year one |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $55,000 |
| Commission and bonus | $15,000 |
| Payroll taxes and benefits (25% of pay) | $17,500 |
| Tools and data ($550 a month) | $6,600 |
| Recruiting and training | $7,000 |
| Turnover (35% a year, rehiring) | $2,450 |
| Manager and QA time (5 hours a week) and admin (4 hours a month) | $21,150 |
| Total, before ramp time | $124,700 |
Headcount: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091). The cost lines are the starting values of our SDR cost calculator: $15,000 commission, 25% payroll taxes and benefits, $550 a month in tools, $7,000 recruiting and training, 35% yearly turnover, and manager, QA and admin time. Change any of them there.
$124,700
for one in-house SDR's first year at a $55,000 base salary.
That buys one rep. It does not buy the list, the manager's coaching system or cover when the rep leaves.
Part two Apply this
The Rochester market toolkit
4 working tools built from the chapters above. Tick the boxes as you go (they stay ticked in this browser), copy the scripts into your CRM, or save the whole guide as a PDF and print this part as a worksheet.
Tool 01
Account scorecard
Before an account goes on the call list, check every line that fits. Call the accounts with the most ticks first, and leave the ones with none for later.
Tool 02
Discovery question bank
Ask fewer, better questions. Pick three or four for the call and save the rest for the meeting. Each one comes with the reason it earns its place.
Restaurants: 624 sites here
From our fire protection talk track. Staying open and passing inspection. Multi-unit operators are worth more than single locations.
- When was your hood suppression system last inspected, and when is the next one due?Due dates tell you when to call and what to offer.
- Have you had a failed inspection or a citation recently?Failed inspections threaten the ability to stay open and create urgency.
- How many locations do you operate, and does each one use a different vendor?Multi-unit operators are more valuable and often want one vendor across locations.
Retail stores: 526 sites here
From our electrical talk track. Lighting cost and fast repair. For chains, decisions often sit in a regional facilities office, so find who owns vendors for your area.
- Who handles electrical service for this store, the store, a regional facilities office or a national provider?For chains, decisions often sit outside the store, so this tells you who to call next.
- Is a lighting retrofit or remodel planned for this location?Remodels and retrofits are defined projects with budgets.
- How fast does your current electrician respond when lights or signs go out?Slow response during business hours is a common reason to add a vendor.
Manufacturing plants: 424 sites here
From our electrical talk track. Uptime and planned shutdowns. Ask what an electrical failure costs the line and when the next shutdown window is.
- When was the last unplanned electrical outage, and what did it cost the line?A recent outage gives you the cost of failure in the plant's own words, which justifies preventative work.
- When is your next planned shutdown, and what electrical work is already on that list?Shutdown windows are when real work happens, so this tells you when a proposal must be approved.
- Has anyone done infrared scanning or switchgear maintenance on your gear recently?Missing maintenance on critical gear is a concrete, defined first project.
Any first meeting
Plain practice that works in every market.
- How are you handling this today, and what would you change about it?The gap between today and what they want is the whole reason to meet.
- What happens if nothing changes this year?Tells you whether there is a cost to waiting, or only curiosity.
- Who else would need to agree before anything moves?Names the people who can stall the deal, while you can still invite them.
- When does the current contract or budget come up for review?Gives you the date to plan around, even when the answer today is no.
- What would make a first meeting worth your time?Lets the buyer set the agenda, which is the agenda they will show up for.
Tool 03
Trigger watchlist
Each of these changes gives a buyer a reason to take the call this month instead of next year. Tick the ones you will track, and set a news alert or CRM field for each so you hear about it first.
Tool 04
30-day action plan
4 weeks, 15 steps, nothing you need to buy. Tick each one off as you finish it; your progress stays in this browser.
Week 1Draw the territory
Week 2Check the rules, then write the talk track
Week 3Make the calls
Week 4Measure and decide
Sources and notes
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023: business sites by category, size and county, Rochester, NY.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1: contractor establishments, one-year change and concentration (location quotient).
- Projects: named public sources linked on each card, current as of 2026-09.
- Anchor owners: sources linked on each card, checked 2026-10.
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2015 to 2024: hail and damaging wind reports by month across the metro's counties.
- NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county monthly series, 1991-2020 averages: degree days and average highs by month.
- Abstrakt sales center, Performance Intelligence, national, as of October 2026: dials, appointments, proposals and wins by trade. Method.
- Abstrakt territory record counts, as of October 2026: decision-maker records per program in the Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls territory.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091).
- The toolkit's discovery questions come from our trade talk tracks; the plan and checklists are sales practice, not data.
