Polymershapes Winnipeg is the latest business to locate in CentrePort Canada, expanding their operations from 14,000 to 20,000 square feet.
On May 20, 2025, Polymershapes officially opened at 55 Durum Drive in West Creek Industrial Park, a modern industrial development in CentrePort Canada, located in the RM of Rosser. This is the third time the Winnipeg location has moved since it opened in 1988, and the first time General Manger Michael Nyczai has moved with company since he started there 24 years ago.
Nyczai manages a team of 13 people at Polymershapes Winnipeg, one of 11 locations across Canada. Polymershapes is the premier distributor of plastic sheet, rod, tube, film and associated products. It has been in business since 1946 and today there are 80 locations across North America.
“Over the last six years, the business has really morphed into value-add,” said Nyczai.
The company has grown from cutting basic plastic sheets into the right shape and size, to better serving their customers with new equipment that can create finished parts for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in various industries.
“Our plastics are literally everywhere you look,” said Nyczai. “That tray you sit your drink on in the aircraft, every bus you ride, every grocery store you walk through, every mall.”
When Polymershapes Winnipeg reached the end of their lease on St. James Street in Winnipeg, Nyczai began looking for a new space they could grow the business in.
The commercial real estate market had limited options in the St. James neighbourhood. The buildings were older, they didn’t meet new sprinkler system requirements, and there wasn’t enough space, lighting or power.
“I couldn’t plug in another toaster at the old facility,” said Nyczai.
Nyczai began looking in CentrePort Canada, where the new infrastructure and buildings would accommodate the business’s requirements and provide room to grow. He chose West Creek Industrial Park because the unit size and building layout fit the needs of the company.
The move to West Creek Industrial Park kept Polymershapes Winnipeg close to their customers and competition while expanding their footprint and capacity.
“When I first started, we had a hand-me-down saw from the Edmonton facility, and a hand-me-down forklift and 30-year-old office furniture from the Vancouver facility.”
With 6,000 square feet of additional space and enough power to support new investments, Nyczai was able to hire another staff member, purchase two pieces of equipment, and outfit the shop with new furniture.
The new building is energy efficient with higher ceilings and better functionality, including a ramp, a graded parking lot, a power overhead door, and hydraulic dock lifts.
“Productivity is up,” said Nyczai. “People are more organized, we’ve got better space, a brighter working space, the employees are engaged and excited about a new building and loving the workspace. People are happy.”
Three companies now call West Creek Industrial Park home; Polymershapes Winnipeg joined tenants Medline Canada and Arctic Beverages as the first three companies to open new operations in the park this year. The 294,150-square-foot industrial park is a newly developed, premier industrial park located in the RM of Rosser, just west of Winnipeg. Developed by Hopewell Development Corp. and brought to market by Colliers International, the park offers modern, large-format industrial facilities with direct access to CentrePort Canada’s established transportation and logistics network.
“We are excited to see companies like Medline, Arctic Beverages and Polymershapes succeed and grow – and to be able to do so within CentrePort Canada,” said Carly Edmundson, President & CEO of CentrePort Canada Inc. “The companies we talk to are thinking about the future when they make a location decision, and having room for future growth is one of the many selling features of the tri-modal inland port.”
