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Local Business Success Story

From the United States Small Business Administration
Homepage for the SBA office in Baltimore, MD
www.sba.gov/md/index.html

2006 Maryland Small Business
Persons of the Year

Chesapeake Plastics Manufacturing, Inc.
Mark D. McGrath, Co-Owner and Steven L. Moore, Co-Owner

How would you react when the boss comes to you and says, “it’s time for me to retire - I’m closing up shop.” While you would probably be a little jealous, you can’t help but wonder, “what about me?” Panic will set in; résumés will be sent out. Shortly thereafter, the light bulb of imagination will go off and you’ll realize that you’ve invested over 15 years of your life with this company. You know the operations inside and out. You can probably run this company as good, if not better, than your boss. That’s exactly what Mark McGrath and Steven Moore, owners of Chesapeake Plastics Manufacturing, Inc. in Lusby, Md., thought. The two co-workers brainstormed, researched and then approached their boss about buying the company before his retirement.

McGrath and Moore purchased their former employers’ equipment, hired many of their newly unemployed colleagues and spent countless hours searching for and renovating property for their new business venture, Chesapeake Plastics Manufacturing, Inc. The company specializes in modern injection molding for the maritime and construction trades, Department of Defense contracting support and the after-market auto industry. The injection molding process begins with pelletized polymer chemicals that have been properly dried, are fed into an injection molding press, heated to liquid form and injected under pressure into a pre-formed metal mold. It is then cooled to a solid and injected from the mold. The molded part is then machined and decorated to the customers’ specifications.

Chesapeake Plastics Manufacturing has established itself as a business that is uniquely unlike other injection molders. Transparency in business practices is the core of their operating philosophy. McGrath and Moore spent months developing and installing wireless web cameras that are installed within the injection molding machines. Through the company’s website, customers are able to view their own parts being manufactured in real time. This transparency provides customers a comfort level by knowing when and how their parts are being manufactured. Cycle times, molding conditions and even the machine used are all available for the customers to view. Additional emphasis is placed on employee training and safety, state of the art manufacturing equipment and global marketing.

The company is thriving, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. The initial start-up phase was challenging. McGrath and Moore turned to the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network’s Southern Region for support. The SBDC, a counseling resource funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, offered business planning assistance and was able to identify several financing opportunities for the growing company. Using all resources available and strong management principles, McGrath and Moore secured the necessary capital to get the company off and running. As sales and profits are rising, so is the staff. The Chesapeake Plastics staff is now three times the size it was when they opened their doors. Even Hurricane Isabel, who paid a visit and delayed renovations on the new building, couldn’t stop the vision of Chesapeake Plastics from becoming a reality. Within ninety days of developing their business plan, full production began at Chesapeake Plastics Manufacturing, Inc. These innovative and determined entrepreneurs have turned their lost fortunes into bright futures.

For more information on the services provided by Chesapeake Plastics Manufacturing, Inc., contact them at (410) 326-3004 or visit them on the web at www.chesapeakeplastics.com.