Founder of Satellite Industries, Al Hilde Jr., Passes Away
Al Hilde Jr., a pioneer in the portable sanitation industry as the founder of Satellite Industries, passed away July 28, at his home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He was 90.
Following a stint in the U.S. Army, Hilde started Satellite Industries in Plymouth, Minnesota, in 1958 offering service with a handful of wooden restrooms. He grew the business to become a worldwide supplier of portable restrooms, restroom trailers, trucks and other accessories.
Hilde played an important role in starting and supporting the Portable Sanitation Association and received many business accolades during his career. Among them was the Minnesota Governor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Community Economic Development and TwinWest Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year.
Through his sports activities and time serving in the military, Hilde noted there were never adequate sanitation options for people working or playing in the outdoors. His goal from the start was to offer proper sanitation to those taking part in outdoor activities, he explained in an interview with the Minnesota Historical Society.
“When playing outdoors there were no restrooms. The only real negative about being outdoors was the lack of sanitation,” he said in the historical society interview. “From the beginning, I was driven to put dignity into the business. We always used the term ‘portable restrooms’ and looked at our business in terms of meeting specific business needs of society.”
According to the portable sanitation history book, PSAI Through the Decades, Hilde named his company Satellite because space travel was top of mind as the U.S. entered the space race and sought to put a man on the moon.
In addition to pioneering industry manufacturing, Hilde wanted to help bring greater professionalism to the restroom industry. In 1971, he was elected to the first board of directors of the Portable Sanitation Association, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and is now called the Portable Sanitation Association International.
In 1972, Hilde started producing the lighter and more durable polyethylene restroom units that dominate the industry today. Satellite eventually sold the restroom service side of the business and concentrated on expanding to new manufacturing and distribution locations and offering the company’s products worldwide.
He owned other companies as well, including Satellite Shelters, which manufactures mobile offices and modular buildings. He also started Jackson Hole Aviation and purchased Western Aircraft, which came from Hilde’s love of flying as he logged more than 10,000 hours as a pilot.
Hilde also served as the mayor of Plymouth for five terms, and was president of the Hennepin County League of Municipalities, president of the Minnesota Executives Organization, director of the Minnesota Orchestra, as well as many other civic and philanthropic pursuits. He and his wife, Jayne, made a major contribution to establish the Hilde Performing Arts Center in Plymouth.
According to a remembrance released by Satellite, “Al’s passion for improving global health and continuous innovation is an inspiration to us to this day … He believed that portable toilet service would be an essential service for many to provide dignity, convenience, privacy and moreover to protect public health and the environment.”
Hilde’s son, Todd Hilde, Satellite’s owner and chief executive officer, said of his father, “My dad’s greatest gift to me was teaching me to love Satellite. Satellite was always the center of our family during our upbringing. We talked about Satellite over dinner each night and it was always a big focus of our family.”
Hilde is survived by his wife, three sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held Aug. 15 at Wayzata Community Church in Wayzata, Minnesota.
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