History

Hammer Packaging was founded in 1912 by Herman J. Meyering as Genesee Valley Lithographic Company. Mr. Meyering was the maternal great-grandfather of current President and CEO Jim Hammer. During the early 1900's, the focus of the company was to sell packaging printing to the agricultural community in Western New York. Genesee Valley Litho produced exceptional printing for 60 years from their downtown Rochester, NY facility. In the mid-1940's the name changed from Genesee Valley Litho to Hammer Lithograph when Herman Meyering's son-in-law Walter Hammer took over the business.

Vigorous sales growth in the food and beverage markets necessitated a move in 1972 from downtown's Exchange Street to make room for new equipment and increased manpower. The company's manufacturing facility and headquarters relocated to 330 Metro Park for 26 years until once again the company outgrew this location.

In October 1998, Hammer broke ground for a new 90,000 sq.ft. state-of-the-art facility on a 14-acre parcel of land adjacent to the Rochester Institute of Technology. The move to the new location was completed in April, 1999. Hammer's proximity to the globally recognized School of Print Media has facilitated an educational exchange program for both Hammer associates and customers. 

Hammer has been ISO 9001:2000 registered since 1997. Hammer's focus on continuous improvement is demonstrated by an ongoing commitment to quality.  Hammer was one of the first printers in North America to adopt ISO quality standards, and has recently elevated its quality level by implementing rigorous HACCP quality standards. 

Today, Hammer Packaging continues its long tradition as an industry leader, consistently being named to the Top-100 privately-held companies in Rochester, and continually rising among the Top-400 printers in North America. The Hammer Team remains committed to leading, not following,  the packaging printing industry with the right people, oustanding service, and leading-edge technology.