Grand Haven Custom Molding, 1500 S. Beechtree St., will host an open house from 5-7 tonight in conjunction with the local Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Bash.
The event includes tours, product demonstrations, free food, drinks, adult beverages and giveaways.
“When Grand Haven Custom Molding started in August of 2010, it literally started with (owner) Karl Chapel getting a machine, setting up a cot and running some plastic parts,” said the company’s chief financial officer, Michelle Hanks.
Chapel hired his first employee the following January. From there, the business boomed, making plastic parts for horticulture, material handling and automotive industries.
“He had a vision,” Hanks said. “He’s a super-driven guy. He knows what he wants and that’s what he’s going to do. He wanted to build a quality, vision-driven plastic injection molding company.”
Hanks said her boss is able to see strategic moves like no one she has ever known.
“I’ve never met anyone who is able to make connections between variables so quickly,” she said. “He can see potential in people and products. He has an engineering background, and to see the potential in things has allowed him to get involved in projects and navigate through all the pieces to get to the finished product.”
Hanks said those skills are what brought the company success in such a short time.
“It’s very under-the-radar that this company started,” she said. “Here it is five years later and he’s never had an open house or a ribbon cutting. There’s never been any fanfare about this company opening its doors.
“So many people drive past this building and they’ve seen it undergo this amazing transition,” Hanks continued. “We’re going to pull out all the stops and have this big celebration that’s open to the public.”