Nicholas Murray’s entrepreneurial journey may have started modestly, but it has been nothing short of remarkable. Fresh out of college, he began his career in the poultry industry, where he discovered a passion for automation, engineering, driving metrics, and, most importantly, mentoring and guiding diverse teams of 50 to 150 people who spoke over six different languages.
After four years of managing all of the processing departments in a 2,400-person plant, Murray was recruited as a plant manager for what would become his current company – Redline Plastics. He served in various roles before his promotion to president in October 2022.
“For the past nine years, I’ve been at the helm of an incredible journey of growth and transformation,” said Murray. “From a modest team of 35 employees in 2018, we’ve now grown to over 200 strong.”
Redline Plastics is a rapidly growing, full-service plastics partner specializing in a wide range of capabilities, including rotational molding, vacuum forming, 3D printing and prototyping, compression molding, line bending, fiberglass-reinforced plastics, cut and sew operations and complex assembly.
Over the past six years, under Murray’s leadership, the company has experienced 2,400%+ growth, outgrowing its original 45,000-square-foot facility, expanding to 125,000 square feet by the end of 2019, and then doubling again in 2021 to a massive 225,000-square-foot facility in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, driven by relentless growth and substantial capital investment.
Murray said that the firm’s commitment to the community, including a partnership with the Lighthouse Recovery Center, adds a deep sense of purpose to what he does. “Watching our employees and community partners succeed reminds me why I love this business, and it motivates me to continue sharing that passion with others,” he said.
With Murray at the helm, Redline Plastics has been recognized as a best place to work by Plastics News for the past four consecutive years, was nominated for Plastics News’ processor of the year in 2022, and received the employee relations award. The firm also received the 2023 energy excellence award from Focus on Energy and was a finalist in the Wisconsin manufacturer of the year event in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
“I am proud of my achievements, but I also recognize that none of this would have been possible without the incredible team I’ve had the privilege to build, collaborate with, and rely on, as well as the mentors who have guided me along the way,” said Murray.