As a young engineer in the mid-1960s, Jim Liautaud conceived a process that binded plastic to metal to create parts for use in the electronics industry. In 1968 he started Capsonic Inc. and began applying his innovation to manufacture injection-molded parts in a small building in Elgin, Illinois. The company grew quickly, employing 40 workers in a new plant it occupied in 1970. By the mid-1990s, it had expanded beyond the electronics field and was supplying parts to the automotive, computer, appliance, and telecommunication industries, reaping over $40 million in sales a year. The company was called Capsonic Group LLC by the early 2000s and had spun off several related subsidiaries. Still owned by Liautaud and headquartered in Elgin, it had operations in Michigan and Mexico. With nearly 200 employees—most in the Chicago area—and revenues approaching $60 million, Capsonic Group ranked among Chicago's largest minority-owned firms.

This entry is part of the Encyclopedia's Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Stephen R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff.