SALVAjor was coined from the word SALVAge in that one of the main benefits of the company's original product was saving silverware from being lost during the process of scrapping and pre-flushing soiled tableware.

During the early 1940's, George C. Hohl wanted to start a company that would make waste handling systems for the food service industry. But the world was at war, and steel was nearly unobtainable. After months of knocking on doors, Hohl finally went to Washington, D.C., where he met with the War Production Board to see if they would approve a steel allotment.

Hohl's presentation was a roaring success. The young entrepreneur was able to prove that his machine, the Salvajor Senior, could save thousands of dollars worth of flatware that was being destroyed in inferior waste disposal systems throughout the nation's military camps. The board not only allocated the necessary steel for Hohl to make his machine, but also recommended the product to the Department of the Army.

In turn, the Army gave Hohl his first order in 1944, requisitioning 600 units of the newly developed stainless steel waste-collecting system, which firmly launched his business. More than a half century later, The Salvajor Company remains a privately held, Kansas City-based manufacturer of commercial waste disposers and waste handling systems for the food service industry.