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Hollymatic Corporation was founded during
the economic depression days of the 1930's by Harry H. Holly
who had been working as a structural iron worker when his employer
was forced to close down. After searching six months for another
job, he and his wife opened a hamburger shop in a small rent-free
area under t he back stairs of his grandmothers home in Calumet
City, Illinois, where they were living at the time.
The hamburger business grew, and it became apparent
to Mr. Holly that molding hamburger patties took far too large
a percentage of his time. He could never be certain if he was
making or losing money, because the size of his patties was
not consistent. This size variance also caused some patties
to be overcooked, while others were underdone in the same time
on the grill. An easier, more efficient way had to be found
to make standard-sized patties. Searching for a better way,
Mr. Holly built a simple yet ingenious patty machine from wood.
A year later he patented the device. In 1937 he sold his restaurant
business and concentrated on building steel versions of the
original model. The remainder of the story is part of our lives
today.
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