Sometimes, Michelle Geitman jokes, her company’s name can get her in trouble. With a name like “Shapes Unlimited,” people may occasionally expect the Little Chute-based industrial parts fabricator to defy the laws of physics when producing an “unlimited” array of custom wood substrate creations.
But that handful of unusual requests aside, the vice president of marketing says Shapes Unlimited’s portfolio speaks for itself. The company is a behind-the-scenes business partner fabricating office furniture, retail displays and more for major clients across the U.S. and Canada. But Shapes Unlimited has also sought to grow its local customer base with clients like KK Sew & Vac in Appleton, for which it recently built custom service counters, and Kaukauna High School, where it has created an orange work table for the school’s fab lab that is shaped like a fidget spinner. The one thing the company’s creations have in common? They’re all proudly made right here in the New North.
Shapes Unlimited is one of three Wisconsin manufacturing companies — there’s also Hi-Tech Plastics in Kaukauna and Nichols Paper Company in Nichols — that has been owned since the mid-1990s by the Dahlin family of Green Bay. Shapes Unlimited has been in business since the 1960s but was part of Appleton-based Superior Specialties before the Dahlins purchased it.
Geitman says Chip Dahlin, who has been president and CEO of all three firms for more than two decades, has placed a strong emphasis on community and charitable partnerships. One of the highest profile is the custom bunk beds shaped like monster trucks and “Frozen” castles it regularly makes for Special Spaces, a charitable organization that creates dream bedrooms for children with cancer.
“We like to fabricate and solve problems for others and in addition give back to the local community that’s right here,” Geitman says.
Using a combination of machine and hand fabrication, the 30-person crew at Shapes Unlimited has made everything from a giant can of caulk for a promotional display to a circular reading nook with built-in bookshelves, in addition to its regular rotation of conference table bases, which are made every day.
That variety and problem-solving approach has kept Geitman engaged with the company for 24 years. “It’s a great family environment, and it’s always interesting,” she says.
shapesunlimited.com
