The Shrink Wrappers
By James Miranda
Fixing, maintaining, and just being around boats in general was and has been David Will’s passion for most of his life, but he’s been able to diversify the field through his business The Shrink Wrappers.
His parents opened a business next door to Sunland Marine in Brookfield, Conn. where he grew up and found himself working there in no time repairing boats and wrapping them for cross country shipping.
It was the beginning of his passion, which lead to his founding of Marine Services Packaging in 1987 when he was 22 years old. It was the start of the shrink-wrapping business for him and something he did on the side. It mainly focused on boats and other industrial objects like shipping containers that were traveling cross country.
He continued to fix boats in addition to wrapping them, but found himself questioning if he could keep up with the advancements of boat technology, thus making him search for different avenues.
“About five years ago, someone called me and asked about doing their patio furniture because they were having some renovations done on their house and they couldn’t get it in,” Will said. “I went up and did it and they called again the next year and I’m thinking to myself this is a little niche I can get out there.”
The Shrink Wrappers is one of the few full-service shrink-wrapping businesses in the tristate area. What makes them different is that they shrink wrap just about anything customers need protected from Mother Nature like patio furniture, roofs, fountains, or classic cars.
This niche has revitalized his business and fueled his decision stray away from fixing boats to shrink wrapping boats and other things five years ago, exclusively becoming The Shrink Wrappers.
“Things were stale for a while. You’re doing boats, you’re doing boats, so now it’s kind of cool to do something very different,” Will said. “People need to know that this is an option for them. This is the wave because now your pool guy doesn’t have to bring all your furniture into the garage, now you can put your car back into the garage, or it can stay outside and safe for the winter.”
The shrink-wrapping process begins with a mold of the product using sturdy strapping wire with interwoven threading patterns to ensure reliability. Items are wrapped with this strapping twice—once inside and outside. This is done that way rain and snow can’t cave in on the item being wrapped. Next is the actual shrink wrap—a 7-milimeter thick and recyclable plastic sheet. It’s the actual piece protecting items and is secured using a shrink wrap gun that seals the wrap.
The last and most important step is to vent the wrapping to help control moisture levels throughout the day. Temperatures fluctuate before and after winter and if an item isn’t vented mildew will grow.
Now that it’s fall and winter draws near, it’s The Shrink Wrappers’ time to shine. Will operates two-to-four crews and they cover Litchfield, Conn. to Westchester. Prices vary depending on what’s being shrink wrapped.
The possibilities of what can be wrapped is limitless, according to Will, but he wants to find other ways to use it and that’s ultimately his goal for his passion going forward.
“We’re diversified, we’re not just interested in doing boats. Boats are just one tiny aspect of it,” said Will, who’s using pink shrink wrap this month in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “I want to make it so I’m getting more and more industrial customers. The key is to keep this growing.”
For more information, The Shrink Wrappers can be contacted via their PO Box: PO Box 774, Brookfield, Conn., by phone call: (203) 740-0175, or their Facebook page: @shrinkwrappers.
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