May 1, 2008
By Deneen Smith
Kenosha News
Eight years ago, brothers Jim and Rob Madson left an established company to launch a new venture of their own, looking to build a business within a niche market that had caught their interest.
The result was Reflective Concepts Inc., which manufactures reflectors used by the lighting industry, polished aluminum pieces used to direct light for pieces as diverse as the backing for a tiny flash bulb smaller than a child's thumbprint to huge pieces used in industrial lighting.
Over the past eight years, the brothers say, the business has grown so strongly and taken over such a big share of the market that nearly every commercial building they stroll into uses one of their components in its lighting. 
“You'll go into a store or walk into a restaurant, and at some point you'll see one of our reflectors,” Rob said. “My family gets sick of me saying, ‘Look, that's one of ours.'”
The Madsons stumbled into the industry while working for a family-owned metal fabricating company. A lighting manufacturer contacted them about creating a reflector for their products. The brothers enjoyed the work and eventually decided to go into the market on their own.
“We started in my garage,” said Jim. A few months later the company rented a building at 9571 58th Place in the Business Park of Kenosha and brought on manufacturing equipment. Within the first year they had a staff of 10.
“It was a growing industry. It was an industry we had gained some experience in, customers that trusted what we did,” Jim said. “They looked for us for help, and they continue to do that today.”
Since its launch, Reflective Concepts bought its formerly leased building, built up its staff to 45 working on two shifts, and is now in the middle of an expansion project that will double the size of the building, adding more manufacturing and distri bution space.
In 2007 the company was nominated as Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year.
Jim said the company makes components for more than 75 industry clients in North America, each with a specialized design for its reflectors.
“Each company is unique and has its own designs,” he said.
The company builds the components from sheets and coils of reflective aluminum, each thin sheet cut and shaped into a piece that will eventually be fitted into a light of some kind.
“Some people refer to it as origami,” Rob said.
The pieces are shaped for specific purposes — some to direct light, some to diffuse it, some to shape light into patterns. Some pieces look like sculpture, others like inside-out disco balls.
“We average 30 orders a day. One order could have 50 pieces; another could have 1,000,” Jim said.
The company has both continuing contracts with lighting manufacturers to make thousands of pieces a year and small custom orders.
One of its recent custom projects was the creation of a series of large aluminum pieces that resembled louvered grates that are being used in the ceiling of a new cathedral at Ave Maria University in Florida. The pieces are designed to diffuse sunlight that enters the building, softening the light and directing it toward the cathedral's walls.
Reflective Conceptsdoes battle competition from more inexpensive Asian manufacturers, but the brothers say they compete by offering quick turnaround times, a nimble response to customers' requests and flexibility.
The brothers said the first years in business were difficult as the high capital investment costs for their manufacturing equipment was daunting. But in the years since, they have grown beyond their expectations.
“It's a niche market, but we have a nice chunk of that niche market,” Jim said.
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