Five Star Fabricating
36728 89th St., Twin Lakes
Industry: Racing bodies and polycarbonate windows
Employees: 160
The products made by Five Star Fabricating move fast, literally. The company is the exclusive supplier of composite car body parts for NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, the second-highest level of stock car racing in the country.
“Little by little, they’re realizing the advantages of composites,” said Carl Schultz, Five Star president and chief executive officer.
NASCAR began introducing the composite body parts for the Xfinity Series in 2017 after using it in previous years at lower levels. The composite parts replace steel pieces that were welded onto the chassis. Composite pieces are bolted on, making them easier to replace.
Five Star actually got its start making sheet metal fenders for stock car racing. Nearly 40 years later, the company has grown to occupy more than 300,000 square feet across six buildings in Twin Lakes.
The latest addition to the company’s campus is a 120,000-square-foot, $13 million project that will be home to Five Star’s window and coatings operation. Moving those operations to the new facility will make room in the existing buildings for the continued expansion of race car body manufacturing. The project is scheduled to be complete in early 2019.
Beyond racing, Five Star is also seeing growth in polycarbonate material replacing glass on products like heavy equipment, passenger buses and motorcycles.
