Rohrbach purchases Young Lion
For John Urlaub and the team at Rohrbach Brewing Company, purchasing the Young Lion Brewing Company (YLBC) made perfect sense.
First, Rohrbach—the Rochester area’s oldest craft brewery, founded in 1991— currently employs Dan McCumiskey as head brewer, who once held the same position at YLBC.
“Dan is an extremely talented brewer, and he influences many of our business discussions,” says Urlaub, Rohrbach owner. “This one was an easy decision to make because Dan made these beers for years. Consistent quality is the key to the brand’s survival and growth.”
Also, Rohrbach and YLBC have maintained a relationship since the younger brewery’s inception in 2017. Jen Newman, co-founder of YLBC, came to Urlaub for advice before opening her business.
“I consider Jen a good friend, and this joining of our businesses means the world to me. I never imagined we would end up in this place, but I couldn’t be happier,” Urlaub says.
The YLBC brand previously was sold to K2 Brewing in 2024, and Rohrbach purchased it from K2 in January of this year.
In handling this transition, there are many aspects to the brand that require attention to maintain customer satisfaction and the brand’s continued survival and growth. The first focus must be on the quality of beer, says the Rohrbach owner.
Urlaub also wants to focus on the availability of the brand, which has been somewhat limited since the sale to K2. While it may take some time to get production back up and refill the pipeline, Urlaub also says, “we never rush great beers.”
After ensuring quality standards, and once Rohrbach can fill shelves again with the YLBC brand, the focus will be on growth and innovation.
“We plan to work closely with retail and distributor partners to grow the brand through consistency and innovation,” says Urlaub. “Our first goal is the focus on the core offerings, but limited releases will be coming down the pipe.” rohrbachs.com
Funding a historic landmark
Photography pioneer George Eastman’s former residence, a 35,000-square-foot Colonial Revival mansion on East Avenue, requires its fair share of maintenance.
The home was built in 1905 and is now part of the George Eastman Museum, a National Historic Landmark that sees more than 120,000 visitors annually.
The museum recently received a $500,000 Save America’s Treasures grant from the Historic Preservation Fund of the National Park Service to aid in its restoration. The goal, always, is to ensure the original residence looks and functions the way it did 120 years ago.
The funds will be used to restore and stabilize the home’s chimneys, parapets, and roof railings, which have seen significant decline from Rochester’s harsh winters. Most importantly, the grant will help address and prevent water infiltration, according to Bruce Barnes, the Ron and Donna Fielding Director of the museum.
Since 2012, the museum has invested $6 million in preservation, including work on the East Porch, the Palm House, gardens, and sixty-eight previously unrestored windows, to name a few projects.
The Save America’s Treasures grant—the securing of which Barnes credits largely to the efforts of Senator Charles Schumer—will help fund this first stage of a multistage project, which will include the roof, dormers, gutters, and downspouts. The whole project is estimated to cost more than $5 million.
While work is being done above the roof line over the next two years, the museum will block off certain areas outside the house to ensure the safety of visitors.
When the work is complete on the museum—which also features a 500-seat movie theater and is home to one of the nation’s largest film archives—the hope is that visitors won’t notice much.
“Whether [visitors] understand how much work went into it or not” says Barnes, “we want them to see it as close to what it originally was—as good as it would’ve looked if George Eastman were taking care of it.” eastman.org
City Blue Imaging celebrates 100 years
For the past century, City Blue Imaging (CBI) has conducted business from downtown Rochester.
The enterprise began as City Blue Print Company, offering traditional blueprint and photography printing services, in 1926.
Today, CBI is a full-service imaging and graphics firm, with customers including WXXI, the Memorial Art Gallery, George Eastman Museum, and many more established, enduring local organizations.
For the past forty years, one family has held ownership of CBI, ensuring its success during a time of rapid technological advances.
The Cleary family purchased the company in 1986 (nine family members held ownership stakes at the time), and Mark Cleary was named president of the company. In 2023, Cleary’s brother-in-law, John Mealy, became the sole owner and assumed the role of president, while Cleary moved to vice president.
During CBI’s 100-year journey, many events have shaped the company, with three standing out to Cleary as pivotal turning points.
In 1950, the company was the first firm to receive a Xerox copier. In 1993, CBI officially entered the digital printing market with its acquisition of a firm called R.A. Ellis.
Most recently and most tragically, 2020 marked a devastating late-night fire that “completely destroyed the printing operation,” says Cleary. With tremendous support from the local community, the firm reopened three months later in a new facility next door, offering the same services in a much smaller footprint—less than half the size of the original space.
Cleary says the move to a smaller space united employees and improved communications.
To celebrate a century in business, employees held a ceremonial toast at City Blue Imaging’s headquarters in January. In May, the company will hold a ribbon cutting with local dignitaries, and there will be a private celebration for employees in September. cityblueimaging.com
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2026 issue of (585).
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