Spending almost 30 years working for a single company is almost unheard of in today’s life science industry, where executives chop and change between firms with bewildering frequency.
However, in CooperVision – one of the world’s leading soft contact lens manufacturers with Puerto Rico at its beating heart – Rolando Torres seems to have found a professional home for life.
Now serving as global chief operations officer for the company he joined back in December 1995, Torres is a homegrown Puerto Rican success story.
After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, he advanced through roles including plant manager, SVP for Americas manufacturing, and EVP of global operations. In 2016, he received the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association’s Manufacturer of the Year award.
Torres’ personal and career growth has been accompanied by a stunning increase in the size and scale of CooperVision’s Puerto Rico operations over the past half-decade; a period Torre characterises as “extremely exciting and fruitful.”
Most notably, buoyed by sturdy business growth, in 2023 the company announced a USD 500 million multi-year investment into Puerto Rican manufacturing.
This historic investment showcased the company’s deep-seated commitment to the island and has involved creating new production cells, manufacturing and packing lines, expanding existing facilities, and growing the workforce from 1,700 in 2019 to around 2,500 today.
Additionally, in response to the island’s well-documented energy supply issues, Torres has even led CooperVision to create its own power system and microgrid. “Our 25-megawatt facility, using natural gas, is certified and has won multiple awards, including the Project of the Year from the Engineering Association of Puerto Rico,” he explains.
CooperVision has lofty global goals for the next few years, with a Puerto Rican executive and Puerto Rican manufacturing at their core. It aims to become the world’s leading contact lens manufacturer by revenue (currently it sits in second place), and maintain its position as its biggest firm in terms of patient reach.
“Puerto Rico will play a pivotal role in that journey,” exclaims Torres. “The expansion of our operations here will require further investment, as the growth we are aiming for will drive the need for increased market share.”
“No other company will invest more in Puerto Rico over the next five years than CooperVision,” he continues. “We are among the top investors in Puerto Rico over the past decade and our corporate leadership has a deep belief in the island, its people, and our local teams.”
And what keeps Torres motivated after all these years with CooperVision? “The people and the culture,” he muses.
“I have always been surrounded by talented individuals. From manufacturing to regulatory, we have world-class teams in all locations, which I am incredibly proud of.”
He concludes, “Additionally, the trust I have received from my peers and the leadership of the company has been a significant motivator. I feel fortunate to work with such great people and am extremely excited about the future.”
