So many memorable things have happened for Dr. Shrink, Inc. over the course of 2011 and we want to take the time to highlight some notable moments. Throughout the entire year, we’ve had the pleasure to assist countless customers with getting all their shrink wrap needs covered. We’ve had the privilege to work with and assist so many people; whether they are long time, loyal customers or just starting to work with Dr. Shrink, we must mention that we greatly appreciate and are extremely thankful for each and every person who we’ve worked with this past year and all years prior.
In order for Dr. Shrink to provide the highest quality service to all of our customers, it is a necessity to have an efficient and great staff to help take orders, meet new customers, prepare and ship out orders, etc. 2011 brought four new faces to the Dr. Shrink team. Over the year, we welcomed Travis Spotts into our marketing department, Nate Hogan as an additional outside sales rep, Logan Skiera to our warehouse staff, and Karen Korolenko who joined our customer service team. We have a great team who are always ready and motivated to help serve our customers in every way they can. Although we gained some new faces this year, we had to say goodbye to one as well. After 12 years of dedicated service, Mary Richmond retired from Dr. Shrink towards the end of August. Mary had worked with so many of our customers over the years and she is dearly missed by our staff, as well as our customers who had the pleasure of working with her.
There were a lot of “firsts” that happened this year for Dr. Shrink. We kicked off this spring with our first ever Recycling Run for Lower Michigan and parts of Ontario, Canada to get shrink wrap covers recycled versus being thrown into landfills. We teamed up with Bay Area Recycling in Traverse City, Michigan and Optima Colour in Ontario to pick up REBAGS® filled with shrink wrap ready to be recycled. The program was an overall success and we will be running it again this spring.
Early spring time we had a bit of a disaster happen to our own warehouse. A powerful storm that ripped through Manistee had wind gusts over 80 mph, causing multiple sections of our warehouse roof to be completely torn off. The Dr. Shrink team reacted without hesitation and brought out the shrink wrap to cover and contain what was left of the damaged roof. In the midst of the destruction, we made it a priority to still bring the same great service and prompt delivery that our customers expected from us.
Due to the increasing amount of the natural disasters that were happening all over the world in 2011, Dr. Shrink wanted to extend a hand. Fresh off the production line, Dr. Shrink donated 50 of our new Disaster Relief Shelters to the people of one of the hardest hit countries, Japan. We recognized that the people in this area didn’t have much, if any, shelter from the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck them. The people of Japan were very grateful to receive the shelters and Dr. Shrink was happy to help play a role in the relief efforts.
Dr. Shrink also achieved a very prestigious honor making the INC.Magazine’s prominent Inc. 5000 list. This list highlights the top 5000 privately owned companies in the United States. Thousands of applications are received each year and only the top 5000 make it. It is quite an honor to be recognized as a top privately owned company in the entire country!
Dr. Shrink had the chance to tap into our creative side a little bit when some of the staff created a song and corresponding music video titled “Shrink Wrap Man”. We had a great time recording the song and video and used it various times throughout the year. If you haven’t seen it already, check it out by clicking here.
This year also brought in plenty of fun times and special events. Dr. Shrink was proud to host our first annual Benefit Golf Scramble for Love INC of Manistee. A great time was had by all at the event, with a day full of golf, prizes, food, and great times with everyone who attended. For a first time event, Dr. Shrink raised nearly $3,800 for Love INC of Manistee! The event was a huge success and is the first of many more community events that we hope to host!
As many of you already know, Dr. Shrink hosts a quarterly shrink wrap training course known as ShrinkWrap U at our facility in Manistee, MI. This year, ShrinkWrap U traveled to different locations! While exhibiting at the 2011 International Boat Builder’s Show (IBEX), Dr. Shrink hosted a special SWU class exclusively for IBEX attendees in Louisville, KY. ShrinkWrap U also went international to Romania that was hosted by Mihai Tanase of Nautic Experts SRL.
Our last big highlight came near the end of the year when Dr. Shrink became a sponsor of a very incredible yacht known as “Teleport.” Chris Bray and Jess Taunton have been on an amazing journey with their yacht “Teleport”. After buying the yacht in Canada, fixing it up, and making it sail worthy, they are taking it back to Australia the long way. Their trip is a very long one and they can’t sail the world full time, so from time to time “Teleport” has to be held over for periods of time. That’s where Dr. Shrink comes into this amazing story. We were approached by Chris via email to be their shrink wrap supplier for when the “Teleport” has to be held over. Mike accepted to opportunity to be their premium shrink wrap supplier and now we are a part of the incredible journey of Chris, Jess, and the yacht “Teleport.”
2011 was a great year for Dr. Shrink with many exciting things that transpired. We look back on 2011 and see all that we have accomplished, while at the same time we look forward to 2012 with new goals and objectives to strive for. 2012 is the year of Dr. Shrink’s 20th anniversary and we have big plans coming up. It is important to us that we share this special time with you, so please remember to check out our Facebook, Twitter, Google+, blogs and newsletters to find out what we have cooking. One thing that won’t change with time is that we will continue to offer the best products and service to all of our customers all the while continuing to look for better ways to serve you. We are excited to share 2012 with you!
If you are interested in reading further into some of the stories we’ve mentioned above, please click on the links below to get the all the details.
Dr. Shrink Welcomes a New Employee
Dr. Shrink After the Storm
New Dr. Shrink Disaster Shelters Donated to Japan
Dr. Shrink’s Recent Accomplishments
ShrinkWrap U Goes International
Dr. Shrink Sponsors the Yacht Teleport
If you are a current blog or newsletter subscriber, then you have probably already seen these stories featured in past blogs and/or newsletters. If you are not a current subscriber and would like to be, please go to the bottom of this page and join our mailing list!
Tag: shrinkwrap
Dr. Shrink Wraps the Yacht Teleport
There are many amazing people in this world, each with equally amazing stories to share. Dr. Shrink has had the pleasure of working with some of these wonderful people over the years. Today we wanted to highlight the incredible story of Chris Bray, Jess Taunton, and their yacht named Teleport and explain how Dr. Shrink is now tied into their story.
Chris and Jess are adventurists from Australia. In 2009, they purchased a yacht in Canada that was in need of some major refurbishing. After spending three months rebuilding in 2010, the yacht was fixed up and given a new name, Teleport. Since then, Chris and Jess have been sailing Teleport back home to Australia in stages each year, stopping along the way to see some of the world’s most fascinating places. Beginning their journey from Halifax in Nova Scotia this year, the duo have now sailed her up the east coast of Canada, across the notorious Labrador Sea to Greenland, up Greenland’s treacherous iceberg filled west-coast, and across into the infamous Northwest Passage in the Arctic above Canada.
Throughout their journey, they have been sharing their experiences with the entire world via the internet and blogging. Many people have followed Chris and Jess’ amazing story and have been able to see some of the breathtaking sights they’ve had the privilege to see. Some people have even become sponsors for their voyages donating supplies, gear, and anything else that would help them along their trip.
Chris approached Dr. Shrink’s CEO Mike Stenberg via email about being their shrink wrap supplier for when they have to let the Teleport lay over for a period of time. Chris had just been covering the yacht with tarps and knew there was a better and more effective solution out there. Very fascinated by their story, Mike has agreed to be their sponsor and is now the premium shrink wrap supplier for Teleport!
We are very proud to be supporting these amazing people traveling the world, doing something that they truly love and are passionate about. If you would like to follow the story of Chris and Jess or to see Dr. Shrink’s special sponsorship page, please follow this link to read more about their incredible journey thus far.
Dr. Shrink Welcomes Karan Korolenko
Dr. Shrink is proud to announce a new member has been added to our dynamic shrink wrap team! We would like to formally introduce Karan Korolenko to the Dr. Shrink staff.
Karen is from Manistee, MI and joined our Customer Service team on October 24th, 2011. She brings a great deal of experience to the table; she previously worked in customer service for five years at an international company out of Chicago.
Under the wing of Kelly Buckingham in our Accounts Receivable department, Karen is currently learning very quickly how to input online orders and use our order entry software. Karen had great remarks about her instructor saying, “Kelly has been really wonderful; she is an excellent teacher.” When asked what her favorite part about working at Dr. Shrink is so far, Karen said, “I like the people; it’s a very laid back and comfortable environment. Even though it is laid back and comfortable, it still is very efficient.”
Don’t be surprised when you soon start hearing Karen’s voice answering the phone to help take your orders. We are very happy to have her join our team. Welcome Karen, from all the Dr. Shrink staff!
ShrinkWrap U Goes International
ShrinkWrap U is teaching people how to shrink wrap around the globe! Earlier this month the first ever international ShrinkWrap U was held in Romania by Mihai Tanase at Nautic Experts SRL. Dr. Shrink is extremely proud of Nautic Experts SRL for the great accomplishment they have achieved by hosting their first SWU!
The class was set up a little differently from the format that is used at the Dr. Shrink warehouse. The Romanian ShrinkWrap U training was held in Ploiesti (Prahova county, near Bucharest). The class was scheduled for two days (instead of just one full day as it is done in Manistee) on 11-12th of October. The class took place at the headquarters of Modpack Company who is a new dealer for Dr. Shrink products. There were four total participants, all of who work for Modpack.
The first day of the training was divided in two parts. Theoretical presentation of all Dr. Shrink’s products, safety procedures and business startup tips were in the first part of the day. The second half of the day was full of live demonstrations of shrink wrapping different pieces of equipment.
The second day was examination day. The students were asked to prepare and shrink wrap a piece of equipment for shipping, while explaining each step of procedure they made. All shrink wrapping had to be done within an hour and a half time frame. This is an extremely useful way of showing what you learned by not only performing it, but being able to explain how and why it was done as well. At the end of the session all four participants received diplomas attesting they successfully graduated the training.
Take a look at a couple pictures taken from the class when the students were receiving their ShrinkWrap U diplomas and getting recognition from Mihai. If you have any questions about ShrinkWrap U, please contact Dr. Shrink at 800-968-5147 or atdrshrink@dr-shrink.com.
Dr. Shrink Joins the MIAF
Florida, known as the Sunshine State, could be re-dubbed as the Boating State. It is full of marinas, yacht dealerships, yacht clubs, and of course boats – a lot of boats. It comes as no surprise Dr. Shrink strives to work with the marine oriented businesses of Florida and be their premium shrink wrap and accessories supplier. While we currently work closely with a number of marinas, dealers, and installers in the Sunshine State, there is always room for fresh ideas and resources. In an effort to support our existing customers and seek out new opportunities; we are proud to announce our membership into the Marine Industries Association of Florida (MIAF)!
The Marine Industries Association of Florida’s purpose is to:
- Promote social activities and education between its members
- To exchange ideas on promotion and sales of their products and services
- To foster and promote boating in Florida
- To aid and assist in the proposal and adoption of suitable laws and regulations relating to boats and boating
- To aid, assist or conduct displays of boats, equipment and allied products and services
Dr. Shrink’s goal is to exhibit the advantages of shrink wrap in front of the whole marine community and open up new application avenues. Our involvement with the MIAF will help achieve this goal. Using the MIAF as a resource, Dr. Shrink will continue to reach out to new and existing businesses with premium products and excellent service, and bring new shrink wrapping ideas and opportunity to the table.
For more information about the Marine Industries Association of Florida, you can visit their website at https://www.boatflorida.org.
If you have any questions or comments about Dr. Shrink, Inc. or our products and services. Please call 800-968-5147 or email drshrink@dr-shrink.com.
Dr. Shrink’s Recent Accomplishments
We here at Dr. Shrink have always prided ourselves on our premium products, excellent customer service, and our loyal customers that help make Dr. Shrink the successful company we are today. We wanted to take the time to mention some recent success that we have achieved. A couple weeks ago (late August 2011), Dr. Shrink was included on the 2011 Inc. Magazine: Inc. 5000 List! This list is an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies in the US. Dr. Shrink is now among past Inc. 5000 members such as: Microsoft, Intuit, Papa John’s, and E-Trade along with many others. This is a huge honor and accomplishment for Dr. Shrink and we hope this will be the first of many. You can see our Inc. 5000 ranking here:https://www.inc.com/inc5000/profile/dr-shrink, and our press release on globenewswire.com here:https://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=231951.
More recently, Dr. Shrink submitted an entry into the Wall Street Journal’s “Small Business, Big Innovation” contest. The entry had to be an article written about how we overcame the recent recession with an innovative idea. We are very proud to announce that our entry was accepted and Dr. Shrink is in the running for this contest! The article entered is currently online on the Wall Street Journal’s website and people can vote for the stories they like the best. Once voting is complete, the top 10 stories will be announced and go into the final round where a panel of judges will select the winner. You can view the written article and cast your votes for Dr. Shrink by following this link,https://blogs.wsj.com/biginnovation/2011/09/09/dr-shrink-inc/. Please vote for us!
When speaking about these accomplishments, no one could be happier than Dr. Shrink’s President and CEO Mike Stenberg. Mike states, “Thanks to the hard work of our team at Dr. Shrink, Inc. we have been able to grow and expand into new shrink wrapping fields and have been recognized by both the Inc. 5000 and Wall Street Journal for our efforts. Not only am I proud of the great team that we have here, but thankful for every single customer that works with us. Without them, we would have never reached these amazing achievements. For that, I would like to say thank you. We will continue to bring our customers the outstanding service and premium products they have come to expect from Dr. Shrink, while always looking for new ways to improve.”
We have made some outstanding accomplishments in these past couple months and our customers have made this possible for us. We are eternally grateful for each and every person that gives us a call, sends us a fax, or shoots us an email. Thank you from the entire Dr. Shrink Team for helping us earn these amazing accolades!
“Rip the Wrap” Video Contest
If you are a current Dr. Shrink customer, you know just how strong and durable our premium shrink wrap is with varieties coming in 6 to 12 mil thick. Some of you may not have used or even felt our thickest 12 mil material, so in order to have a little fun showing off just how strong this material is, we are running a “Rip the Wrap” video contest! In order to participate in this contest, you will need to videotape yourself “ripping the wrap” from start to finish (or at least trying). Here is a complete list of all rules and requirements of the contest:
- Call our office or email sales@dr-shrink.com with your name and shipping address to request your 24″ x 24″ sample piece of 12 mil.
- Your video MUST begin with stating your name and zooming in on all four sides of the sample piece in order to ensure no slits or cuts have been made.
- Wrap must only be ripped with bare hands—use of any tools, pliers, etc. will be immediately disqualified.
- Entire length of sample piece must be ripped.
- Video must be saved in an AVI, WMV, QuickTime, MOV or MPEG4 format and emailed to sales@dr-shrink.com to enter.
- Contest runs the entire month of August– starting 8 AM EST August 1st and running to 5 PM EST August 31st (Please consider ship time of receiving the sample, videotaping, and video editing/uploading).
If you think you don’t have the technology to upload a video, think again! Most cell phones have the capability to record video footage which can be uploaded to YouTube. If you can’t email your video because the file size is too big, you can easily upload your video to YouTube and email us the link instead. We want everyone to give it a shot; fancy video camera, cell phone video, anyway you can get the footage, we want to see it!
ANY participants who enter a video TRYING to “Rip the Wrap” will win a free roll of 4″ Heat Shrink Tape and anyone who can SUCCESSFULLY “Rip the Wrap” will win a $25 credit towards any Dr. Shrink product(s). We are excited to see everyone’s efforts to RIP THE WRAP.
**By submittal of your video, you give all property rights of the video to Dr. Shrink, Inc.**
Proactive Steps to Better Warehouse Efficiency
Dr. Shrink contacted the Supply Chain Management Department at Michigan State University, the number 2 program in the nation behind MIT, to come in and audit the efficiency of our warehouse. Brad Cook, an adjunct professor, audited the SKU performance as well as the overall operation of the warehouse over several days. He was surprised at the current efficiency of Dr. Shrink’s 60,000 square foot warehouse, especially with only having three full time warehouse employees, but there is always room for improvement.
Based on his findings, a 3-phase plan was suggested. Phase 1 is immediate improvements over a short term. These improvements are almost exclusively re-arranging the current rack system and product placement. Warehouse Manager Evan Jensen states, “One slight change can make an enormous difference. Instead of organizing products by size for spacing reasons, we now have products strategically placed by order frequency. This change in organization of our products has already made us more efficient when packing orders.”
Evan continued, “Also as Brad suggested, by rearranging current racking, we’ve also about doubled our capacity for order staging. That means more orders are boxed, packed and/or skidded plenty of time in advance and ready when the shipping companies come for pick-up.” Phases 2 and 3 will involve updated software for a warehouse management system and long-term plans for expansion. That being said we are always looking for ways to help serve our customers better. Through these short and long term changes, we are still focused on staying as efficient as possible. We pride ourselves in getting our customers’ orders out to them as fast as possible, and these changes will only help us to continue achieving that goal.
Shrinking the Recession
Over the past few years, the world has seen some pretty tough economic times. It was extremely difficult for small businesses to stay afloat during the latest US recession (beginning late 2007 and lasting into the summer of 2009). Dr. Shrink, Inc. felt the need to fight through the recession instead of hanging back and having it adversely affect our business. In order to combat the harsh financial struggle that seemed to be everyone’s biggest enemy; Dr. Shrink was progressive in our approach to overcome these tough times.
Dr. Shrink knew it was crucial to be smart on where we chose to spend our money during this time. We were still a fairly new company in 2007 (in our 15th year of business) so continuing to promote our name and the Dr. Shrink brand was critical. We had often exhibited at trade shows as a way to promote our products, but during the years of 07’ – 09’, Dr. Shrink looked at trade shows with a heavier focus and also as a necessity. CEO Mike Stenberg invested the time and money into exhibiting at more shows in order to promote our company and make new customers; even when it seemed like new customers were far out of sight.
Dr. Shrink has taken pride in knowing we have always been a forward-thinking and innovative company and we wanted to build on these strengths during the recession. In addition to providing our customers with an extensive, high quality line of premium shrink wrap and installation accessories, we continued to develop new and useful products for our customers to help them stay proficient. Creating new, innovative products takes an enormous amount of time and money. Even during this hard economic time and our reduced budget, we knew it was vital to continue putting resources into new product development. Living up to the high standards our customers expect from us was a must and creating these new products definitely helped us grow. In addition to bringing new products to the market, we put extensive effort into researching potential distributors to supply Dr. Shrink products worldwide. We wanted our products to be readily available for all customers no matter what part of the globe they’re from. Adding more national and international distributors during these hard times helped us grow even more. In addition to these efforts to grow during the recession, we knew one thing would still be around once the recession was over—the internet. Dr. Shrink decided to revamp the company website to make it more user-friendly and provide easier navigation. We also optimized the site so it could easily be seen when searched online.
Lastly, and maybe one of the most monumental steps that Dr. Shrink took during the recession, was the creation of a new department within the company– our Marketing Department. In July of 2009, Dr. Shrink hired Angela Jensen to be a full-time telemarketer and as time progressed, so did our marketing outlets and services. We built a presence on many social media outlets and started blogging. We also created custom Dr. Shrink flyers, which promoted our premium shrink wrap products targeted to new industries. Our new flyers were taken to all relevant trade shows; construction, scaffolding, agriculture, wind power, packaging & transportation, the list goes on. Dr. Shrink realized with a new marketing department intact, that in addition to marketing our own company, we could now help our customer’s promote their company. We wanted to provide our customers (who didn’t have the resources to attend trade shows, spend time on advertising, etc.) with marketing help and guidance. Some examples of marketing assistance offered to our customers are: custom flyers, logo creation, affordable website templates, press release kits, and many other tools. This side of our Marketing Department has made an impact on our customer’s business, in turn helping our own. It is nice to know Dr. Shrink and our customers are growing and prospering together.
The recession is over and Dr. Shrink has come out of it thriving by being proactive and forward-thinking. We have developed and matured as a company and will always strive to offer our customers the absolute best products and customer service.
Dr. Shrink Benefit Golf Scramble
Dr. Shrink has always been a company that cares about people and the community that we reside in. When we heard that there was an organization in our community (Love INC of Manistee) that needed help raising money to continue their charity efforts with local families, Dr. Shrink stepped up to the plate to lend a hand. With the beautiful Manistee National Golf Course & Resort just down the road, it made sense to hold a benefit golf outing for Love INC.
Love INC is a non-profit organization that has helped thousands of people in the Manistee and Benzie counties every year. Whether it be food, clothing, shelter, life skill classes, or emergency relief; Love INC puts forth many resources to help people in need. With that being said, funding for such programs plays an enormous role in helping the people and families who do receive these aids. In order to continue to offer these and other programs to the people who need them, Love INC is trying to raise money to continue to offer them. Dr. Shrink has teamed up with Love INC to bring a community together and help to make sure these programs stay in place.
This event is for anyone that wants to support Love INC or who just wants to play a round of golf on an amazing course for a great cause. The Dr. Shrink staff will be participating in this event and we encourage our customers to come out and join us. Dr. Shrink, Inc. President and CEO Mike Stenberg wanted to personally invite our customers to come and join us saying, “It would be a pleasure seeing all of our customers and business friends at our first annual charity golf tournament for Love, INC. We promise a great time while benefiting Love, INC and their caring agenda. So far we have customers coming from as far away as Rhode Island, New York, Maryland and Minnesota. Come on up to beautiful Manistee, MI and have some fun.” In addition to many other great prizes, there will be an exclusive “Dr. Shrink Customer Only” prize raffle at the end of the event for all of our customers that participate. One lucky Dr. Shrink customer will receive new Shrinkfast 998 Heat Tool Kit!
Dr. Shrink and Love INC would like to thank the following sponsors:
Bob’s Roofing
Callesen & Associates
Jeff Petroski of the Comfort Center
Daniel D. Laskey Company, PC
Exit Great Lakes Reality
Kendra C. Thompson Architects, PC
Manistee Ford
Mary Sturdevant Agency State Farm Insurance
MS Creative
Muffler Man of Manistee
North Shore Marine & RV
Northwestern Bank
Olsen’s Food Store
Pamela’s Interior Design & Construction
Sports Ink
Lucky Lizard Awards & Gifts
West Shore Bank
Yates Chevrolet & Cadillac
Smeltzer & Sons Photography
Members Credit Union
Go With the Flow Solutions
Paco Theiscn
Lloyd Henry’s
Paul Vandermaas of Las-Drop
Manistee National Golf & Resort
102.7 WMOM FM Radio
91.1 The Promise FM Radio
Manistee News Advocate
Manistee Chamber of Commerce
Ludington Daily News
And all the everyone who will be participating in this event!
For complete details, please see the flyer above. For any questions or to sign up for this event, contact Travis at 231-723-2685 or email him attravis@dr-shrink.com.
