The Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics is tonight on the other side of the world, yet there is a bit of Butler over there.
A local company- Butler Technologies- has done their part to keep the U.S. Olympic Team warm while they march tonight.
The company worked with iconic fashion designer Ralph Lauren and other companies to design the jackets that will be worn by U.S. team members during the opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea. Butler Technologies created a heater- in the shape of an American flag- that was sewn into the interior back panel of the jacket.
“It’s all done with conductive inks, flexible materials and low profile connectors. It’s going to help keep the athletes warm and that’s what matters,” Nadine Tripodi, co-founder of Butler Technologies, said in an interview.
The company had been working on the concept and design for months before they found out their product was heading to the Olympics.
“In November, we were informed that the end customer was Ralph Lauren and that the jackets would be used for the Olympics,” Tripodi said. “That’s pretty exciting for us.”
Butler Technologies is an advanced, high-tech precision screen printing company based on West Wayne Street in Butler with about 60 employees.
