Rochester Optical in the Rochester Top 100 Growth and Innovation
If you walk through Rochester Optical’s headquarters today, past the hum of machines and the quiet precision of technicians at work, it’s hard not to feel the weight of history humming alongside the modern equipment. This is a company born in 1932, in a city that has always lived at the intersection of invention and craftsmanship. And like Rochester itself, the company has never stopped reinventing its vision of what’s possible.
Over the years, that reinvention has earned Rochester Optical something more than loyal customers and expanding facilities — it has earned them a recurring place among the Greater Rochester Chamber Top 100 companies. The list represents the region’s fastest-growing businesses, and Rochester Optical’s multiple appearances are chapters in a larger story of endurance, evolution, and bold forward motion.
The First Climb: A Turning Point
One of the earliest known high points came when Rochester Optical earned a spot as high as #31 on the Top 100 list. 2010
It was a moment that reflected more than revenue growth — it reflected a shift in identity. The company had begun investing heavily in research and development, pushing beyond the boundaries of traditional eyewear manufacturing. Labs expanded. Technologies sharpened. The company was no longer just keeping pace with the industry — it was trying to help shape it.
That Top 100 moment was a signal: Rochester Optical was ascending.
Breaking Into the Top Ranks
Then came the year that Rochester Optical reached #13 — one of its highest recorded rankings. 2011
This was a transformational era. The company’s military eyewear division was booming, outgrowing the Lyell Avenue facility that had once been more than enough. The move to a new, larger building on Emerson Street wasn’t just about space; it symbolized a leap into the future. New capabilities. New contracts. New expectations.
Being ranked #13 didn’t just place Rochester Optical on the list. It placed them near the top of it — shoulder to shoulder with some of the region’s most rapidly expanding enterprises.
Expansion, Reinvention, and the Rhythm of Growth
Like many companies that grow in waves, Rochester Optical saw multiple Top 100 appearances that mirrored periods of strategic expansion.
The ranking of #36 2012 aligned with the acquisition of a new property at 1230 Lyell Avenue — a calculated investment in capacity and infrastructure. More space meant more production, more innovation, and more possibilities.
And then there was the listing at #88 2013, which emerged during a period when the company was diversifying its operations and positioning itself for the next stage of growth. It wasn’t the highest number they’d earned, but it represented something equally important: consistency.
A later ranking of #60 2014 reflected steady, sustainable growth — the kind that indicates a business not just expanding, but maturing. Around this time, Rochester Optical continued broadening its reach, enhancing both manufacturing and distribution while responding to shifting market needs.
The New Era: Innovation Meets Momentum
Most recently, Rochester Optical Manufacturing Company earned a place on the 2025 Rochester Top 100 — a fresh recognition of momentum that has never truly stopped. The ranking reflects the company’s continued ability to adapt, invest, and move forward in a competitive industry that rewards those with the courage to keep reinventing themselves.
Today, Rochester Optical’s story is still being written — in the hum of new equipment, the precision of advanced lens technologies, and the thoughtful evolution of a company rooted in decades of craftsmanship.
A Legacy Focused on the Future
The story of Rochester Optical’s Top 100 rankings is really the story of a company determined to grow without losing sight of who it is. Each ranking — #31, #13, #36, #60, #88, and their latest achievement — marks a moment of reinvention. A decision to evolve. A leap forward.
It’s the story of a company that has remained part of Rochester’s business fabric for nearly a century, adapting with every shift in the industry while holding onto the values that have defined it since 1932.
And if the past is any indication, the future chapters will be just as bold — and just as worthy of recognition.
