So yesterday, I was on a Zoom call with a guy called Tyler from California.
Tyler is in the commercial cleaning business, and he says something to me that people in the industry say to me from time to time.
Tyler says he really likes the name “Centaur” and asked how it came about.
Since others have also asked, I thought I should let you know too and come clean…
Here’s the truth of the matter:
Admittedly, for a while, I always thought the name and logo came from Greek mythology (you know, the half-human and half-horse creature, called the Centaur).
Turns out I was wrong.
See, Centaur’s business was first set up by the founder Tony Lelkes. But it wasn’t always called Centaur Floor Machines.
When Tony first started the business (in the 1960s), it was called “Industrial Machine Services”.
Yeah, I know, a very unexciting name, right!?
Tony thought so, too.
So he was eager to find a new name for the business.
And he ends up getting his inspiration from whence all good ideas come from — a hospital waiting room!
Tony told me he was waiting for someone in hospital, flipping through a magazine.
He told me he came across an article with an image of the Centaur creature.
Tony liked it.
He liked it a lot.
He thought it looked strong.
So, Tony commits a minor crime… he rips the page clean out of the magazine…
And he takes it to a graphic designer and says: “Hey, designer… stop twiddling with your pencil mustache… and make me a logo just like this!” (or something to that effect).
And that’s how Centaur Floor Machines acquired its name and logo.
(Turns out Tony didn’t make the connection to Greek mythology).
If he had, he might not have chosen the name. Why?
Because the Centaur creature in Greek mythology was also associated with crazy chaos.
The complete opposite of what Centaur Floor Machines is about!
So, now… I just tell people that the “half-horse” (in the Centaur logo) stands for the powerful machines we make, and the “half-human” represents the smart people using the machines.
Anyway…
Now you know how the Centaur name and logo came about.
And I hope, just like Tyler from California, you like the new symbolism we’ve given to the name and logo, too!
