Invest in Rochester, Grow Your Business
Each year, the Business Development team in the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development helps entrepreneurs start or grow a business in Rochester. Here are some examples of successful business leaders who've experienced the benefits of working with our Business Development Team.
Bright Bubble Laundromat
953 N. Clinton Avenue
Rochester, NY 14621
Located on a main corridor in the Northeast quadrant, Bright Bubble Laundromat is an essential laundromat business on N. Clinton Avenue that many people in the neighborhood frequent. It is important for essential businesses to remain open and be accessible for our residents.
The City of Rochester was able to assist them with a Targeted Business Revitalization Grant, a grant intended to assist businesses who have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic.”
Sew-N-City
200-202 Webster Avenue
Beechwood Neighborhood
Founded in 2012 by Shannon Scott, Sew-n-City is a successful woman/minority owned hair salon which provides a wide array of services, including hair styling, braiding, weaving, as well as large inventory of hair care products.
When Shannon Scott decided to enlarge her salon and look for a place to own, she worked with the City to find a tax-foreclosed abandoned building at 200-202 Webster Avenue. Shannon purchased the property from the City, and with financial assistance from the City, fully renovated and restored the building. The City provided a Business Development Financial Assistance loan and grant for the project. The project was completed in 2023.
Today, Sew-n-City employs eight City of Rochester residents, while actively engaging in community initiatives and demonstrating leadership through its actions.
Woerner Industries LLC
485 Hague St
Rochester, NY 14606
“Founded in 1915, Woerner Industries, LLC has manufactured a full line of church furniture for over 100 years. Our products are sold through church goods dealers nationwide. We are dedicated to producing furniture designed to enhance the worship service and to endure for years to come.”
— Andy Frame, Project Manager of Woerner Industries, LLC
Like so many other business, Woerner Industries, LLC was forced to close their doors and shut down for 8 weeks during the pandemic. This closure caused a decrease in sales that also prompted Woerner Industries, LLC to contact the City of Rochester Business and Economic Development team for financial assistance. The City of Rochester Business and Economic Development team helped Woerner Industries, LLC through the application process and was able to award a Targeted Business Revitalization Assistance Grant to help keep Woerner Industries open for business.
Butler/Till
260 East Broad Street
Rochester, NY 14604
Butler/Till
was established in 1998 and is a results-driven marketing agency that is
independent, a certified women-owned/led enterprise (WBE), 100% employee-owned
(ESOP), and a B Corporation. The agency has grown to more than 350 employees
across 18 states, and is proud to not only have Rochester roots, but still be
headquartered here 25+ years later.
Butler/Till
has experienced significant growth over the years, expanding their team, their
service offering, their clients, which are both regional and national brands in
highly regulated industries, and gained several recognitions such as earning
spots on the Ad Age Best Places to Work List, on both the Inc. Best in Business
List and on the Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing private companies in
the United States. Additionally, they have been regularly named in the
Rochester Top 100 for more than 15 years.
The
City of Rochester assisted Butler/Till with moving their headquarters from
Henrietta to downtown Rochester with a Business Development Financial
Assistance Grant. The move to downtown Rochester brought nearly 150 local
employees to the city and the business projected to create an additional 65
positions over the next three years—a stat they have already surpassed and
proof of a significant development in downtown Rochester.
Roc Paper Straws
920 Exchange Street, Suite G-102
Rochester, NY 14608 
Karrie Laughton and her mother, Kathryn Laughton, are the owners of Suck It Up Straws, Inc., dba Roc Paper Straws, a woman-owned paper straw factory, one of only six in the U.S.A., and the only one in the Northeast! Karrie has owned and operated a local neighborhood bar, Lux Lounge, in the South Wedge for the past 21 years. Back in 2018, Karrie made the switch to paper straws after watching the video of the poor turtle with the plastic straw in its sweet little nose. As Karrie watched, she exclaimed “Enough! No more turtle torture!” and made the switch to paper straws.
Then things got tricky. Other businesses were also making the switch and the demand started getting overwhelming. The few U.S. companies that were making paper straws couldn’t keep up with the demand. Karrie was literally waiting up to three months to get an order delivered. Then she thought to herself, “This is crazy! If people want the paper straws, they shall have the paper straws, so I will help save the world and make the paper straws!” After 3 years of planning and developing several prototypes, the owners, along with the addition of six Full-time employees, created the perfect winning paper straw that does not get soggy!
An added bonus is that Wegmans has chosen Roc Paper Straws to be the sole provider of straws in all 110 Wegmans cafes, restaurants, and corporate offices, along with providing the product for Wegmans' private label paper straws. The City provided assistance with a Targeted Business Revitalization Grant.