Bausch + Lomb honoured with Corporate Citizen Award

IN celebration of the 35th anniversary of Rochester, N.Y., and Waterford, Ireland, as International Sister Cities, Tom O’Connell, Chairman, Waterford-Rochester Sister City Committee presented Bausch + Lomb with the International Sister Cities of Rochester, NY, Corporate Citizen award at the Bausch + Lomb manufacturing plant in Waterford. The award was presented to Mark Hennessy, Bausch + Lomb site lead, to recognise Bausch + Lomb for its long tenure and significant contributions to the greater Waterford community. The Bausch + Lomb contact lens manufacturing facility in Rochester, N.Y., will also receive the award during a separate ceremony planned to occur in Rochester on Friday, July 12.
Presenting the corporate citizen award to Mark Hennessy, Tom O’Connell said that Bausch + Lomb is a leading corporate citizen in both Rochester and Waterford,“As we look to strengthen the beneficial ties between our regions, there are several high priorities,” he said. “Education is one, but the most important and beneficial is employment, especially the kind which this company provides. Bausch + Lomb ties our communities together in a very special way. When you talk about what an entity brings to the table in a community, I can think of no greater example than that of a strong manufacturing company like Bausch + Lomb. The immense positive impact that this company has brought to their communities includes: excellent jobs, providing hope and a pathway for our young people; foundational stability in the community enabling the raising of families, owning homes and other deep-rooted social benefits; the business ripple effect of suppliers and service companies which support and provide services to Bausch + Lomb; the support of local schools and colleges by the company and employees, and the support of many, many worthwhile community endeavours.”
Mr. O’Connell added that the presence of Bausch + Lomb in Rochester and Waterford sends out a clear message that these cities are excellent locations for world-class businesses with the ability to successfully compete at the highest international level. “From a sister city perspective, many of our citizens contribute to the company in both locations,” said the Chairman. “I have lived in Rochester my entire life where Bausch + Lomb has always been considered a bedrock member of the community and a company of world-class technical strength. That is why we are recognizing Bausch + Lomb as an excellent corporate citizen.”
Mark Hennessy, site lead, Bausch + Lomb Waterford, accepting the award, said that collaboration between the Bausch + Lomb sites in Waterford and Rochester has been close and productive since manufacturing began in Ireland in 1980. “The Waterford manufacturing facility was the first manufacturing facility the company established outside of the United States, where it had been a highly innovative enterprise since its founding in Rochester in 1853,” he said.
“Initially, the Waterford facility was envisaged as a small contact lens manufacturing plant mirroring Rochester, but on a very much smaller scale. Now it is one of the largest lens manufacturing plants in the world and the most technologically advanced.”