Satellite Industries, Inc.

Satellite Industries, Inc. was founded in 1958 by Al Hilde, Jr. During two years of service with the US Army in Texas, Hilde noticed that the Army supplied adequate food, shelter, and clothing at temporary camps. However, there was one thing missing: adequate toilet facilities. Hilde made the same observations previously as he played sports and worked on construction sites. The lack of temporary toilet facilities at construction sites and sporting events lead Mr. Hilde to believe that supplying portable toilet services would be a valuable service. Mr. Hilde built the first wooden prototype toilet in Texas and hauled it back to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he lived.

Mr. Hilde then designed a service truck equipped with vacuum pump and waste tank. He developed a deodorizer formula to use inside the toilets to assure pleasing conditions. With a fleet of 36 toilets, a service truck and the deodorizer formula, Mr. Hilde began selling the new toilet rental and service to construction companies.

Portable toilets were indeed needed by contractors and quickly caught on. As systems and procedures were developed to handle all of the operational logistics, Hilde opened up his second location within a few years. New locations were continuously added from that point forward.

Satellite had the ultimate motivation to make sure the equipment was designed the best it could be. Reducing minutes, even seconds, on service and repair times immensely improved the company's profitability. To shorten service times, Satellite redesigned its toilets to be more durable and easier to clean. That same strategy was applied to the design of vacuum tanks on service trucks. The trucks were designed for safety to prevent accidents and be maneuverable in all terrain. The hoses, pump and deodorizers on the truck were easily accessible, all helping to shorten service time.

In 1972, Satellite began producing polyethylene toilets, which were much lighter and more hygienic than wood toilets. The equipment Satellite designed for its own service company was sought after by other portable toilet service companies around the US. Satellite also began exporting its products. The industry grew quickly in the US, Germany, Japan and Australia.

In 1987, Satellite was the largest portable toilet service company in the world with over 18 branch locations and approximately 20,000 toilets in its rental fleet. At this time, Satellite had two distinct divisions: the service operation, and the manufacturing operation which designed and marketed equipment to other rental and service companies. In January of 1988, Satellite made a strategic decision to focus on the design and manufacture of equipment. The service company was sold at that time. This opened the door for Satellite to supply its equipment to portable toilet rental and service companies throughout the US since Satellite was no longer a potential competitor to them. It also allowed the introduction of this valuable industry to other countries around the world.

In 1995, Satellite established our European head office, Satellite Europe, in Brussels, Belgium. An Asia-Pacific office was opened in Hong Kong. In 1996 Satellite became the first portable toilet manufacturer to achieve ISO-9002 certification, an international standard of quality assurance.

Satellite exports equipment and offers training and consultative assistance to companies in 75 countries. The company is the world's largest portable toilet manufacturer with the most comprehensive array of products and services. All these products represent the evolution nearly 40 years of continuous quality improvements. Product designs continue to benefit from the feedback of customers around the world.

Satellite Industries continues today under the ownership and direction of the Hilde family with Mr. Al Hilde as its Chairman and Todd Hilde as its President.