Chicago Wrap: Grit, growth & giving back in the Windy City

Chicago Wrap bills itself as one of the oldest commercial vehicle fleet wrapping providers in the Windy City. Along with its focus on commercial vehicle fleet wrapping, the company gives back to the community through charitable efforts. And it helps move the industry forward as a training hub for the next generation of vehicle wrappers.

From DIY to a state-of-the-art workspace

Sean Heffner started Chicago Wrap in the family’s basement in 2003. To help get the business going, he relied on referrals from local car dealerships. With few resources on hand, Heffner needed a lot of grit and determination to get through those early years.

“I couldn’t afford a laminator,” he said. “So, I would print a wrap, then spray the laminate with soapy water, flip it over, set it on the material, and hand-squeegee everything out. It was the only way we could get started. We just did whatever it took to wrap vehicles back then.”

The business grew steadily while still operating out of that basement. Neighbors eventually got upset; the
last straw was when a customer dropped off his semitruck cab to be wrapped. Heffner finally leased a commercial space, and Chicago Wrap never looked back.

The company now owns and occupies a 10,000-square-foot facility in Aurora, Illinois, a Chicago suburb roughly 30 miles west of downtown. Here, it focuses on commercial vehicle/fleet wrapping services, though the company does color-change and clear paint protection film requests as well. The team includes two designers and five installers. Heffner’s father and sister are also involved in the business. New car dealerships remain an important customer pipeline.

Heffner and the team not only wrap parts, trucks, and courtesy cars owned by the dealerships, but they also benefit from referrals: Local businesses purchasing new commercial vehicles are frequently directed to Chicago Wrap for their wrapping needs. The days of laminating manually are long gone! The company’s production equipment includes a Roland SOLJET Pro 2 XR-640, two Roland TrueVIS VG Series wide-format eco-solvent inkjet printers, and a GFP cold laminator.

Local work, national impact

Chicago Wrap has customized countless vehicles over the years, but some projects have left a lasting impression. An 80-vehicle fleet-wrapping project for Nicor Gas, for example, helped the team get through the pandemic. A fleet of six Volkswagen Atlas SUVs for the Chicago Auto Show presented various difficulties that really pushed the team and brought it together.

In early 2025, Chicago Wrap donated its time and expertise to wrap a new, 38‘ RV for the Skin Cancer Foundation. The RV tours the country as part of the Foundation’s Destination Healthy Skin project, working with local dermatologists to provide free screenings to anyone interested. The green-and-blue wrap is printed on MPI 1105 and protected by DOL 1360 Max overlaminate (donated to the project by Avery Dennison) and is helping attract attention to the RV and the project.

Giving back to the next generation of installers

The shop has developed its own vehicle wrap training program called Chicago Wrap University. The goal is to arm others with the knowledge they need to get hired in the industry or even start their own business. Chicago Wrap also hosts Avery Dennison vehicle wrap training. And, even with his decades of experience, Heffner himself continues to take advantage of Avery Dennison training.

“Avery Dennison has taught us so much over the years,” he stated. “They’ve just helped us immensely to be successful.”