Rochester’s Public Powerhouses: How Publicly Traded Companies Are Fueling the Region’s Economic Momentum

Corning Glass Headquarters

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes region has long been known for its innovation, industry, and resilience. Today, a look at the area’s publicly traded companies shows that Rochester remains a vital player in New York’s economic landscape. Not just through startups and research, but through established, market-listed enterprises that continue to anchor and employ thousands across the region.

Among the standout names are Constellation Brands and Corning Incorporated, both Fortune 500 giants with deep roots in upstate New York. Constellation, headquartered in Victor, remains one of the world’s largest beverage producers, reporting over $10 billion in fiscal 2024 revenue. Corning, based just south in Steuben County, generated roughly $13 billion and continues to serve as a global leader in advanced materials, from fiber optics to the glass in nearly every smartphone screen.

Closer to downtown Rochester, Paychex, Monro, Transcat, and Kodak continue to shape the local economy. Paychex, one of the nation’s largest payroll and HR services providers, employs thousands in Monroe County and reported over $5.3 billion in annual revenue. Monro, a national auto service chain founded here in 1957, remains a publicly traded company with consistent top-line performance near $1.3 billion. Transcat, a lesser-known but fast-growing calibration and measurement firm, has seen steady gains tied to industrial and manufacturing demand across the country.

Even as Eastman Kodak’s footprint has evolved, the company’s presence at Eastman Business Park remains a symbol of Rochester’s reinvention, supporting new ventures in advanced manufacturing, materials science, and clean tech.

Beyond those headquartered here, L3Harris Technologies, CooperVision, and others maintain significant operations and payrolls in the region. L3Harris employs more than 3,700 people in the Rochester area, producing advanced communications and defense technologies. CooperVision, part of The Cooper Companies (NASDAQ: COO), manufactures contact lenses at its Henrietta facility, with a workforce topping 1,000.

Together, these employers contribute billions in annual payroll and investment stabilizing the region’s economy while attracting complementary industries in optics, photonics, defense, and precision manufacturing.

The 2025 fiscal data underscores that Rochester’s public companies remain steady even amid broader market uncertainty. Paychex projected 4–5% revenue growth for the year and CooperCompanies forecasted 6–8%.

While the Fortune 500 list may only include a few names from the Finger Lakes corridor, the broader picture tells a deeper story, one of durable businesses, consistent employment, and a community that continues to produce world-class enterprise talent.

Revenue Breakdown in Numbers:

Company (Ticker)	2024 Revenue (actual)	2025 Rev. thru Q3 (YTD)	2025 Full-Year Projection
Corning (GLW)	$13.1B	$11.41B (9M’25)	n/a (no rev guidance)
Constellation Brands (STZ) – FY ends Feb	$10.0B (FY2024)	$8.04B (9M FY2025)	n/a (EPS guidance only)
Paychex (PAYX) – FY ends May	$5.30B (FY2024)	~$4.10B (9M FY2025)	Company guided FY2025 total revenue +4–5.5% YoY (no dollar)
Monro (MNRO) – FY ends Mar	≈$1.3B (FY2024)	n/a (9M not disclosed in PR)	No FY2025 revenue guidance
Transcat (TRNS) – FY ends Mar	n/a (FY2024 not cleanly stated in public PR)	$201.3M (9M FY2025)	Commentary: mid-to-low single-digit organic growth FY2025
Seneca Foods (SENEA) – FY ends Mar	$1.459B (FY2024)	$1.233B (9M FY2025)	n/a
Xerox (XRX)	$6.22B	$4.99B (9M’25)	n/a
Eastman Kodak (KODK)	$1.043B	$510M (Q1–Q2’25 sum; company reports quarterly)	n/a
L3Harris (LHX)	$21.3B	n/a (company reported FY only in Jan)	2025 guidance provided (EPS/cash; not revenue)
CooperCompanies (COO) – parent of CooperVision	$3.9B (FY2024)	n/a	FY2025 revenue outlook $4.08–$4.16B

From Victor to Corning, from the optics labs of L3Harris to the payroll engines at Paychex, the Finger Lakes’ public companies illustrate what’s possible when legacy industries evolve alongside innovation. For Rochester, the story isn’t about how many companies are headquartered here, it’s about how many continue to grow, employ, and invest in the region’s future.

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