TOWN OF TONAWANDA, NY (WIVB) -- After Sumitomo Rubber announced the closure of its Tonawanda tire manufacturing facility last month, more than 1,500 employees are now without jobs. "I left a good job thinking I had a career here," said Shanika Wilcox, a former machine operator with Sumitomo. "I don't know how I'm going to get back and I have a family to take care of, the holiday season. I have bills to pay, it's hard, it's a struggle." Wilcox is now one of many workers searching for new opportunities. "Losing a job like this is terrible, but it's not the end and we want to make sure that we keep those doors of opportunity open for them," said Roberta Reardon, the New York State Commissioner of Labor. "One of the things we hear from employers all the time is that 'I can't find season skilled workers' -- that's who these workers are." The New York State Department of Labor, along with the Town of Tonawanda and other organizations, held a job fair Tuesday at the Lincoln Park Athletic Complex, and hope to hold more in the coming months. "I was shocked with the number of people that showed up today, I love it," said Tom Piwtrak, an electrical controls engineer with Sumitomo. "I love all the job openings, I love that the community's coming together to try to get everybody jobs." Over a hundred employers attended the fair to advertise job openings. "Sumitomo has been around for a while, those guys work hard and we're hoping to take some of those hard working individuals and put them back to work, make sure they're staying employed, make sure their families are taken care of," said Matt Gersley, a senior engineering manager with Brunner International Division of Henderson, one of the companies at the fair. The New York State Department of Labor said it plans to hold more of these job fairs as the need continues. The department recommends workers who attend the fairs to dress for success, bring resumes and try to maintain a positive attitude. For more resources from the New York State Department of Labor, visit its website here. Latest Local News Over 100 employers attend job fair for former Sumitomo workers Four 14-year-olds arrested for stealing car in Lockport Buffalo man sentenced for murder of girlfriend Holiday Valley opening for season on Friday Young cancer survivor pushed down stands at Sunday’s Bills game Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here.