Spartanburg Water chooses Ice House penguin name
July 13, 2017
It was a difficult decision. With more than 1,200 entries submitted for Spartanburg Water’s Name Our Penguin contest, the utility says it seems like it received every possible name you can think of, from ordinary, like Bob and Bill, to penguin-specific Waddles, Fancy Flippers and Eazy Freezy. The committee debated for two days over what to name the penguin who will be at the center of its Ice House rebranding. Finally, a decision was made: Percy Shivers.
Percy Shivers is original, its “icy sounding,” and it goes well with “penguin.” Percy Shivers the Penguin! Andrea Switzer and her 4-year-old son, Jack, came up with the name together. They entered the contest on Facebook and picked up their Yeti cooler and an extra-large plush penguin at Spartanburg Water’s Union Street Ice House this morning. Jack was bashful when it came time to take his picture, but once the camera was put away, he hugged Percy and told him he loved him.
Andrea said with seven children and no automatic icemaker, she buys all her ice from the utility’s Ice Houses. Many Spartanburg residents don’t realize Spartanburg Water has twelve ice houses placed strategically around the county to provide ice and fresh-filtered water 24/7. The partnership with Twice the Ice began in 2008 and since that time Spartanburg Water has provided well over 18 million pounds of ice through its Ice Houses. That’s more than 2.25 million gallons of water, just at a lower temperature. All the revenue from the utility’s Ice Houses is put into replacing aging infrastructure, some over a century old.
Percy Shivers. Great ice. Great name!
ABOUT SPARTANBURG WATER: Spartanburg Water, an award-winning utility, is comprised of Spartanburg Water System and Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District. It serves a population of more than 180,000 within Spartanburg County, as well as others in parts of Greenville, Union and Cherokee counties. With the help of its dedicated team of more than 250 employees, each day it produces an average of 30 million gallons of drinking water and cleans 12 million gallons of reclaimed water for its customers and community. For more information on Spartanburg Water’s water quality efforts, visit us at spartanburgwater.org.
