Rochester Precision Optics expands facility

West Henrietta, NY--In a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rochester Precision Optics officially opened the $10.7 million, 43,000-sq-ft expansion to its 65,000-sq-ft John Street facility. The company has about 180 employees and expects to add 150 new positions over the next three years.

Conard Holton

April 12, 2012

West Henrietta, NY--In a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rochester Precision Optics (RPO) officially opened the $10.7 million, 43,000-sq-ft expansion to its 65,000-sq-ft John Street facility. The company has about 180 employees and expects to add 150 new positions over the next three years.

William Hurley, who formed the company in 2005 by acquiring the manufacturing technology, IP, and assets of Kodak Optical Imaging Systems, said RPO's growth had been limited by space constraints. RPO now anticipates doubling revenues over the next two years as it expands into additional optics offerings such as custom products and engineering solutions. It built up its engineering capacity with last year’s acquisition of Rochester-based ASE Optics.

RPO also has facilities in Londonderry, NH, and Shanghai, China, and did consider out-of-state locations for this expansion before securing funding support from New York's Empire State Development agency. In addition to expertise in aspherical precision glass molding, traditional optics fabrication, and diamond turning, the company offers vertically integrated support functions such as thin film coatings, comprehensive design and manufacturing capabilities, and high volume production of lenses, assemblies, and sub-assemblies.

About the Author

Conard Holton

Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.