Hatco Reintroduces “Billy Booster”

Milwaukee, WI — Hatco Corporation, the Milwaukee-based leading manufacturer of foodservice equipment is introducing its iconic Billy Booster character to a new generation of fans.

According to Robin Alfano, Hatco advertising manager, “We’re actually bringing Billy out of retirement. Billy was our company’s whimsical ambassador in 1962. He retired after the tradeshow season that year and kind of sunk into oblivion after that. And now we’re bringing him back.”
Billy was created from one of Hatco’s products, a stainless steel Booster Water Heater. He was morphed into a cute, cartoon-like character with a face, arms, and legs. Alfano recounts how Billy was brought out of retirement. “We were going through some of the company’s historical archives and found him. He made us laugh. Then we thought, what the heck, let’s bring him back!”

Billy is living a very busy life now that he’s back on the job and has become quite a worldwide traveler. “Billy’s been to all of the international tradeshows. He’s been in Las Vegas, New York, Beijing, Shanghai and Milan just to name a few. He’s also attended some of our company functions. Everywhere he goes he makes people smile,” said Alfano.

Alfano says that Billy is fitting right in to the company’s culture. “Hatco became an employee-owned company in 2007 and has maintained a culture that works hard and enjoys having fun. Billy is a logical extension of our culture and our customers love him too. He’s is a big part of Hatco’s 60th anniversary celebration this year.”

Billy’s fame is not limited to just appearing at tradeshows and employee functions. He has a major presence on the internet and enjoys a growing fan base following him on Hatco’s Facebook social networking site. “Billy’s been responsible for over 199 fan sign-ups on our Facebook page. They follow him wherever he goes,” says Alfano.

Recently, Billy’s duties have been expanded. “With all the excitement Billy generated last year as an icon, we decided to bring him to life. He’s now become a real live mascot who appears at shows and company functions, and we’ve launched an entertaining Billy blog that appears regularly on our website. ’ says Alfano, "Billy has become a great ambassador for our company and we’re definitely having a lot of fun with him,”

Hatco’s Billy is not expected to get the same fame as the Pillsbury Doughboy or Speedy Alka Seltzer, but in the world of foodservice equipment, Billy rocks.

Source: Hatco Corp.