Bausch & Lomb has been awarded an International Sister City of Rochester Corporate Citizen Award.
It comes as Rochester celebrates 35 years as a sister city of Waterford, Ireland, where B&L has a contact lens manufacturing facility.
Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, Daniel Mulhall, presented the award, saying it recognizes Bausch & Lomb for its tenure and significant contributions in the Rochester and Waterford communities.
“The Irish plant is an integral part of the global operations of Bausch & Lomb. And that's the way it should be,” Mulhall said “That's the way in which we can strengthen our respective economies, is by working together.”
Mulhall says there are 750 U.S. companies with investments in Ireland, employing about 150,000 people; a huge part of Ireland's economy. Rochester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Duffy says that B&L's expansion in Waterford is directly related to its Sister City relationship with Rochester.
“The Sister City program started off more as a relationship opportunity,” he said. “It has developed into an economic development pipeline.”
Duffy calls this Sister City relationship a nurtured win-win for both countries. Bausch & Lomb’s Joe Hart says the company is expanding its contact lens manufacturing facilities in both cities, and collectively working on the company's new daily disposable contact lens.
“Between Rochester and Waterford, we make the lion's share of all of the contact lenses for Bausch & Lomb," he said.
The chairman of Sister Cities of Rochester, Tom O'Connell, added that he applauds Bausch & Lomb for continuing to tie these two communities together.
Ambassador of Ireland to the U.S. Daniel Mulhall says the Waterford plant is an integral part of the global operations of Bausch and Lomb:
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