ReForm Composites
These funds became the catalyst that allowed us to catapult ReForm from a nights-and-weekends effort into our full-time mission.
–Cody Sheltra, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, ReForm Composites, Inc.
Turning Advanced Composite Research Into Commercial Manufacturing
Advanced composites can deliver exceptional strength without the weight of traditional structural materials. Some of the most promising options, though, remain too expensive for widespread use.
That has long been the case with continuous-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites, or CFRTP. Rather than fibers simply mixed into plastic, CFRTP uses densely packed, continuous load-bearing fibers held together by thermoplastic resin. The result is a strong, stiff material that can replace metal in demanding structural applications. Because the thermoplastic softens when heated, CFRTP can also be reformed, welded, repaired, and potentially recycled.
ReForm Composites, founded in 2024 by a team of longtime University of Maine researchers, is focused on lowering the production costs that have kept CFRTP largely confined to markets such as aerospace. Its proprietary manufacturing technology is designed to produce the material continuously and at higher rates, opening the door to structural applications where traditional production methods have been too expensive.
Making Advanced Composites More Accessible
CFRTP has been studied for decades, and its advantages are well understood. High production costs have remained the main barrier to broader use.
ReForm developed its Continuous Forming technology to address that problem. Instead of relying on slower batch-production methods, the company uses a continuous manufacturing process intended to increase production rates and reduce costs.
Much of ReForm’s business is custom manufacturing for other companies. The team manufactures CFRTP in forms such as rods, plates, tubes, and custom structural profiles that customers incorporate into larger products.
Applications can range from aerospace and automotive components to industrial equipment and sporting goods. These composite materials may replace metal when weight or corrosion is a concern, or conventional composites when customers need a material that can be reformed or recycled.
The company also brings its engineering and research experience directly into customer projects. In some cases, customers arrive with applications they have considered for years but could never make economically viable.
“We have partnered with professionals who have spent their careers advancing CFRTP and recognized strong uses for structural shapes and profiles, but previously found that batch-production costs made those ideas impractical,” Sheltra says.
6
full-time employees
2
production lines in operation
1
commercial product, PolyDowel™, brought to market
Multiple
Fortune 500 companies engaged in development opportunities, including a Fortune 50 company
ReForm also develops its own products for construction and infrastructure. Its first commercial product, PolyDowel™, is a composite plate dowel that replaces steel dowels in concrete floors in warehouses, distribution centers, and other large facilities. The dowels transfer loads across joints in the floor, helping adjacent concrete sections stay aligned while still allowing movement at the joint.
At approximately 20% of the weight of steel, PolyDowel can reduce freight costs and make handling and installation easier. It does not rust, which can help extend the service life of the floor.
From University Research to Commercial Manufacturing
ReForm’s founding team had already worked together for nearly a decade before starting the company. As program managers and researchers at the University of Maine, they built deep technical expertise in CFRTP and began developing the manufacturing platform that would later become the basis for ReForm.
Through market research and the University’s Maine Innovation, Research and Technology Accelerator (MIRTA) program, the team started testing whether the technology could support a commercial business.
By the time ReForm launched, the founders had promising customer opportunities but not enough capital to build production equipment or bring the team on full time. For roughly 18 months, they worked nights and weekends while using engineering contracts and smaller projects to fund the business.
That approach kept the company moving, but it did not generate capital quickly enough to build production capacity on customer timelines. The team needed equipment and full-time staff to pursue the opportunities already in front of them.
Moving Into Production With MTI Support
Support from the Maine Technology Institute helped ReForm make that transition. The company received Business Innovation Range II and Range III awards to advance and commercialize its Continuous Forming technology.
ReForm later received capital asset funding through the Maine Technology Asset Fund (MTAF) 3.0 to support the purchase and construction of equipment for its manufacturing lines.
Paired with customer-funded engineering work and significant effort from the founding team, that support helped ReForm move into full-time operations. The company established a dedicated facility, built two production lines, and grew to six full-time employees. All four founders now work for ReForm full time, and the company has brought its first commercial product, PolyDowel™, to market.
Sheltra also credits MTI advisors Shane Beckim and Lou Simms with helping the team navigate the funding process. Beckim encouraged ReForm to apply for Range II funding when the founders initially underestimated how far along the business was. Simms later guided the company through the MTAF 3.0 process as ReForm prepared for a larger investment in manufacturing equipment.
Building a Composites Company in Maine
Maine organizations have played an important role in ReForm’s development.
The University of Maine provided the technical foundation for the company, while the University’s Office of Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Resources and Engagement (SPIRE) helped the founders move from academic research toward entrepreneurship. MTI supported the next stage as ReForm moved from early commercialization work into production.
“Maine’s innovation community is what made ReForm possible in the first place,” Sheltra says.
The founders have also found strong support among local businesses. Sheltra points to relationships with companies that have handled work ranging from branded packaging to construction of ReForm’s facility.
The team is particularly proud of hiring a former intern as a full-time salaried engineer after he graduated from college. For the founders, the hire marked the point when ReForm began creating opportunities for people beyond the original team.
Learning What It Takes to Build the Business
The founders brought years of technical experience into ReForm, but commercial manufacturing required them to learn a different side of the work.
Their academic roles had centered on composites research and manufacturing technology. Building a company meant learning more about customers and production economics, along with the day-to-day realities of running a business.
“Our greatest lesson has been that moving research into the market requires humility, persistence, and a willingness to learn from people who have spent their careers in industry,” Sheltra says.
Some of the most useful lessons came from early customers. Two customers whose initial orders exposed gaps in ReForm’s readiness later became mentors and advocates for the company.
ReForm has also gained attention outside Maine. During its first year, JEC Composites selected the company as one of the world’s 20 leading composite startups. Since then, the team has earned development opportunities with multiple Fortune 500 companies, including a Fortune 50 company.
Members of ReForm’s team have also been recognized by the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA). Sheltra was selected for the inaugural 2025 class of ACMA’s Emerging Leaders Program, which provides leadership development and industry engagement opportunities for rising composites professionals. Jacob Clark, ReForm’s Director of Composites for Infrastructure, was selected for the program’s 2026 class.
Expanding Where CFRTP Can Be Used
ReForm’s long-term goal is to make CFRTP practical for a wider range of structural applications. Expanding into more structural markets will require lower production costs and clearer ways to evaluate newer materials when existing standards were written around established technologies.
Codes and standards provide an essential baseline, but they do not always account for materials with different structural behavior. ReForm works to identify what matters for a specific application and generate the evidence needed to support a credible qualification pathway.
PolyDowel is one example. Its CFRTP construction can require engineers to look beyond standards developed for traditional materials and evaluate the product based on how it actually performs.
As ReForm expands its manufacturing capacity, the company plans to bring CFRTP into industries that have not previously had practical access to the material.
Sheltra sees that work as the continuation of research he and the other founders spent years pursuing together at the University of Maine. “I love working with close friends to help make that potential real,” he says.
ReForm is now producing that technology commercially and plans to expand its manufacturing capacity as it brings CFRTP into new products, industries, and markets.
