Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Benson.
Hi Andrew, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Our story really started with a simple idea: take the skills and work ethic I had developed over the years and see if I could build something of my own.
Bear Creek Shrink Wrapping started as a side business while I was still working full-time as a shipwright at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard. In the beginning, we focused primarily on shrink wrapping boats and smaller local projects. I spent nights and weekends building the business, finding customers, and taking on just about every opportunity that came our way.
Eventually, the business began growing beyond what I originally imagined. We started taking on larger commercial and industrial projects, traveling for work, and building relationships with customers who continued to bring us back for additional projects.
A little over a year ago, I made the decision to leave my career at the Coast Guard Yard and take the business full-time. It was a big leap, but since then we’ve continued to grow, expand the type and size of projects we take on, and travel wherever our customers need us.
Most recently, we completed a large shrink-wrapping project in Puerto Rico for one of our repeat customers. Looking back, going from wrapping boats locally as a side business to traveling for large commercial projects has been pretty incredible.
We’re still a growing company, and there’s a lot more we want to accomplish. Our goal is to continue building relationships, taking on bigger and more challenging projects, and growing Bear Creek into a company that’s known for being willing to go wherever the job takes us and getting the job done right.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but I think that’s part of building any business from the ground up.
One of the biggest challenges early on was balancing the business with a full-time career. There were plenty of long days where I would work my regular job and then spend nights and weekends quoting projects, answering customers, doing the actual work, and trying to figure out how to grow the business.
Making the decision to leave a stable career at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard and go all-in on the business was probably the biggest risk. There’s a big difference between running a business on the side and knowing that the business is now responsible for paying your bills. You quickly learn that being a business owner means you’re the salesperson, estimator, accountant, project manager, and laborer all at the same time.
Cash flow has also been a learning experience. As we’ve moved into larger commercial projects, the expenses get bigger, travel becomes more complicated, and sometimes you’re waiting weeks or months to get paid while still having to fund the next job.
There have also been jobs that didn’t go exactly as planned, quotes I probably should have priced differently, opportunities that didn’t work out, and plenty of lessons learned the hard way. But every one of those experiences has helped us become better at what we do and better at running the business.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that you have to be willing to adapt. We started primarily wrapping boats locally, and today we’re traveling for large commercial and industrial projects, including work as far away as Puerto Rico. There are still challenges every week, but seeing how far the business has come makes all of those difficult moments worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Bear Creek Shrink Wrapping. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Bear Creek Shrink Wrapping is a Maryland-based shrink-wrapping company specializing in marine, commercial, industrial, and transportation protection. While we originally built the business around boats and marine shrink wrapping, the company has grown into something much larger.
Today, we take on projects ranging from boats and recreational equipment to electrical switchgear, industrial equipment, modular structures, construction materials, and other large or unusual items that need to be protected from weather, transportation, or long-term exposure.
I think one of the biggest things that sets us apart is that we aren’t afraid of the difficult or unusual jobs. A lot of the opportunities that have helped grow our company started with someone asking, “Can you wrap this?” Our answer is usually, “Let’s figure out how.”
We’re also willing to travel wherever our customers need us. We’ve completed projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic and other parts of the country, and most recently traveled to Puerto Rico to complete a large project for a repeat customer. Building relationships like that is something I’m extremely proud of. Having a customer trust you enough to bring you back for another project—especially one that requires sending your company more than a thousand miles from home—means a lot.
Another thing that separates us is our background. Before taking Bear Creek full-time, I worked as a shipwright at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard. That experience taught me how to work around large vessels, equipment, scaffolding, complex projects, and demanding environments where safety and quality matter. We’ve carried that mentality into our day to day operations.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud of what the Bear Creek Shrink Wrapping name is beginning to represent. We’re still a relatively young company, but we’re building a reputation for being dependable, adaptable, and willing to go the extra mile to get a project completed correctly. We’ve gone from a small side business wrapping boats locally to being trusted with increasingly large commercial and industrial projects.
At the end of the day, we don’t want to be known as just another shrink-wrapping company. We want Bear Creek Shrink Wrapping to be the company someone calls when they have something difficult to protect and aren’t quite sure who can handle it. Whether it’s a boat down the street or an industrial project a plane ride away, we want our customers to know that we’ll find a way to get it done.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was always very independent and ambitious. From a pretty young age, I knew that I wanted to own a business someday. I don’t think I necessarily knew exactly what that business would be, but the idea of building something of my own was always exciting to me.
I was always interested in figuring out how things worked, working with my hands, and finding ways to make money on my own. I liked the idea that the amount of effort I put into something could directly affect the outcome. Even when I was younger, I was constantly thinking about different business ideas and ways I could turn something I enjoyed or was good at into an opportunity.
As I got older, that mindset never really went away. Working as a shipwright gave me a great career and taught me a tremendous amount, but I still had that desire to build something for myself. Starting Bear Creek Shrink Wrapping on the side gave me an opportunity to finally put that entrepreneurial mindset into practice.
Personality-wise, I’ve always been someone who would rather try something and figure it out along the way than spend years wondering what would have happened if I had tried. That’s probably played a big role in where I am today. Leaving a stable career to become a full-time business owner was a risk, but becoming a business owner was something I had wanted for as long as I can remember.
What’s interesting is that the goal was never simply to own a shrink-wrapping company. The goal was to build businesses, create opportunities, and have something that I could look back on and know I built from the ground up. Bear Creek Shrink Wrapping became the first real opportunity to turn that goal into a reality, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here.
Pricing:
- Pricing varies based on size, complexity, location, and project requirements
- Marine shrink wrapping is typically priced based on vessel size and type
- Commercial and industrial projects are custom quoted
- Free estimates are available
- Photos and dimensions are often enough to provide an initial quote
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bearcreekshrinkwrapping.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095291684487
