As a boy and young man, John J. Palica was thrilled by the challenge of athletic competition.
Now, Palica stokes his competitive fires as president of Traco Manufacturing Inc., an Orem-based maker of shrink-wrap machines and supplier of shrink-wrap film.
Palica played high school basketball and baseball and continued his baseball career in college in California, where he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins. But an injury shattered his major-league dreams, leaving him with nothing but the hard-hitting persistence and dedication he had developed as an athlete.
Palica got a job selling shrink film and quickly realized he could serve the industry better than his employer. After being turned down by venture capital firms, he borrowed his father’s retirement savings to develop the SuperSealer, a reasonably priced shrink-wrap machine designed for small and medium-size businesses.
He also created a “razor/razor blade” opportunity for Traco by entering the shrink-wrap supply business. Clients who bought one of Traco’s SuperSealers continue their relationship with the company because it also supplies the wrap used in the machines.
There are now over 275K units in use today.