Print

For Winners Everywhere, A Store Full Of Trophies

Dagny Salas

July 31, 2008

What's selling: Mr. Trophy offers a variety of trophies assembled and engraved on site, a red brick building near Airport Road. The showroom is filled with plastic and marble trophies, glass and resin plates and plaques. Owner Butch Surwilo estimates that he sells roughly 200,000 trophies and plaques a year.

Who Goes There? Mr. Trophy has been around for 47 years, so the store has seen generations of coaches, athletic directors, teachers, parents and corporate managers seeking awards for banquets.

Who Works There? The company employs 10 people, most of whom have been around for 15 to 20 years. The staff includes three skilled engravers, three showroom clerks and three assembly workers who cut columns for trophies.

Cool Fact: Surwilo collects Elvis Presley memorabilia, including about 200 plates featuring "The King." His collection grew so large that Surwilo had to move a good chunk of artifacts to his store.

Mr. Trophy

330 Locust St., Hartford

860-246-2579