The 12th Annual WNY Optics/Photonics Golf Tournament a Huge Success!

From left to right: Adam Dunn, Pat Bechtold, and Dave Mohring stand on the tee box of the hole OptiPro sponsored at the WNY Optics/Photonics Golf Tournament

The annual WNY Optics/Photonics Golf Tournament took place July 19th at Shadow Lake and Shadow Pines Golf Courses in Rochester, NY. This year marked the 12th year of the event and was one of the most successful ever, with 66 groups of 4 and a total of 320 people participating! The event raised approximately $20,000.00 for the Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY.

In 2001, Ron Schulmerich, President of Angstrom Precision Optics, and his wife Diane founded the WNY Optics/Photonics Golf Tournament to bring Western NY optics and photonics companies together to enjoy a day of golf and networking while raising money for Golisano Children's Hospital. The event has grown in popularity each year and has raised over $135,000.00 dollars during its 12 year existence! The money helps the hospital continue to provide the best care and facilities to children with medical conditions and their families. This year, companies attended not only from Western NY but across the Northeast and as far as Florida!

OptiPro signed two groups up for this year's tournament. A friendly wager was placed between the two groups for bragging rights, with the group of Mike Bechtold (President), Tim Ansaldi (Controller), Ed Fess (Research Engineer) and John Schoen (University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics) defeating Dave Mohring (Head of Optics Sales), Adam Dunn (Optics Sales), Pat Bechtold (Marketing Coordinator), and Lynda Bechtold (Head of Mastercam Sales) by one stroke (+1 to +2). Dave, Adam, Pat and Lynda all failed to make a 5 foot putt on the last hole, which would have clinched at least a tie! As always, the tournament was a great time for all. OptiPro would like to thank Ron, Diane, and everyone else that contributes to making the WNY Optics/Photonics Golf Tournament a fantastic event year after year. We greatly appreciate all the hard work that goes into such a great tournament for a great cause! 

Visit the WNY Optics/Photonics Golf Tournament Facebook page for more information or to see photos from the most recent tournament. If you are interested in signing up for next year's event, contact Ron or Diane at wnyoptics@rochester.rr.com or call 585-663-7230 Monday through Friday. 

Dan Harris from the Navy speaks to attendees of the SBIR Review Meeting on July 10th.

OptiPro's mechanical and research engineers shared new innovations in development which reflect the company's desire to constantly advance their CNC optical manufacturing technology. Among the new innovations presented to attendees was OptiPro's new machining concept "OptiSonic". OptiSonic utilizes ultrasonic machining and 5-axes of motion to effectively grind hard optical materials in a variety of geometric shapes. Other companies who presented at the meeting included Optimax Systems, Ceranova, Applied Science Innovations, and QED Technologies.

Many of the attendees also stopped by OptiPro after the conclusion of the meeting for a shop tour of their recently-expanded facility. Attendees also enjoyed wine, beer, and appetizers while viewing live demonstrations of OptiPro's optical grinding, polishing, and UltraForm® Finishing machines, as well as OptiTrace 5000 contact profilometer and UltraSurf™ non-contact profilometer systems.

OptiPro would like to thank everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to attend the SBIR review meeting! Check out pictures from the meeting and the shop tour "happy hour" by visiting OptiPro's Facebook page.

OptiPro Featured in MEP's "Make it in America" Series!

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OptiPro has been highlighted as the Featured Manufacturer of the Week for the Make it in America initiative! To check out the feature, click on the following link:

OptiPro U.S. Manufacturer of the Week >>

Make it in America is an initiative supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP). NIST MEP works with small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers to help them create and retain jobs, increase profits, and save time and money. The nationwide network provides a variety of services that put American manufacturers in a position to develop new customers, expand into new markets and create new products.

In the past 30 years, since OptiPro introduced the first affordable CNC machine designed specifically for the optics industry, we have consistently built a culture that cares: a culture of employees who live and breathe by our strong OptiPro values. One of these values is a devotion to innovation. OptiPro has grown to 50 employees dedicated to serving the U.S. manufacturing industry with the most advanced CNC precision optical fabrication equipment in the world. We are constantly striving to stay ahead of the technological curve so our customers stay ahead of their competition.

OptiPro is proud to be the only U.S. company that offers a closed-loop manufacturing solution consisting of CNC optical grinding machines, high-speed spherical polishing machines, UltraForm Finishing machines, and metrology systems both contact and non-contact. For more information, visit www.optipro.com or contact us by calling 585-265-0160.

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