Billy Mays Biography (July 20 1958 - June 28 2009) Primarily known as the booming voiced commercial host of the company Oxiclean, Billy Mays leaves in his wake a string of maintenance products and tools, including cleaning products and food choppers that he has recommended though advertising in his 12 year career. Born in McKees Rock, Pennsylvania on July 20th 1958 Mays began his sales man’s career on the Atlantic City boardwalk, selling the "Washmatik" portable washing device to passersby. While at a Pittsburgh home show in 1993, Mays struck up a friendship with rival salesman Max Appel, founder of Orange Glo International, a Denver-based manufacturer of cleaning products. He was then hired by the company to promote their line of cleaners, OxiClean, Orange Clean, and Orange Glo, on the Home Shopping Network in St. Petersburg, Florida. Along with the Geico Lizard, Billy Mays has made his name through televsion advertising and has now become a regular in the homes of most Home Shoppping Network viewers. After just one day with the network Mays’s the customer response to his loud sales pitch was very enthusiastic, with a sharp increase in sales. The enthusiasm was not shared by the Washington Post who referred to him as "a full-volume pitchman, amped up like a candidate for a tranquilizer-gun takedown." Likewise he was panned by Consumerama who compared him "a bouncer in a cut-and-shoot' bar" and describing his delivery as "rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat....". But this was no deterrent to Mays who keenly accepted a line of successful television commercials and infomercials for The Home Shopping Network. Mays method of sales revolved around hands on demonstrations of the usefulness of the products in front of the cameras. His trade mark entrance on the commercials is, "Hi! Billy Mays".
With Billy on board, OrangeGlo International were named among the top ten privately growing companies from 1999 to 2001 by Inc. magazine, and its eventual buyout by Church and Dwight and Mays' salesmanship was credited for much of the company's success. Mays was the CEO and founder of Mays Promotions, Inc., based in Dunedin, Florida. His services as a pitchman became highly sought-after, and he appeared in commercials for many diverse "as seen on TV" products and was said to be an avid user of the products he promotes. Following a bumping landing on a flight Billy had taken from Philadelphia home to Florida on June 28th, it was reported that a piece of luggage had fallen from the overhead bin and struck him on the head. That night Billy was said to have felt groggy and tired and went to bed to sleep it off. By Sunday morning, Billy's wife awoke to find him dead. Billy lived in Keystone, Florida, near Tampa. | 
