VOLVO HONORS COLLEAGUE WITH CHARACTER THAT ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO “PLAY IN THE DIRT” 

VOLVO HONORS COLLEAGUE WITH CHARACTER THAT ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO “PLAY IN THE DIRT”

Fifty years ago, Volvo invented the articulated hauler category. While the brand has remained true to its leadership in the category, it has done so not only because of continued product innovation, but because of people who believed in pushing the status quo, and turning vision into reality.

Perhaps the strongest example of that came in Henrik Larsson, who spent more than 15 years with the Volvo family serving as product specialist for articulated haulers and product manager for general purpose equipment. Henrik believed in creating the best possible product, and experience, for people — from colleagues to customers to operators.

In October of 2015 Henrik passed away after a battle with sarcoma, shortly before the product he believed in marked its 50-year anniversary. While Volvo honored the 50th anniversary with a gold-painted articulated hauler, commemorating Henrik was a much taller order, as the goal was to capture the joy and passion he had and share it with others.

Enter Henrik the Hauler.

Henrik the Hauler finds his home in Volvo Village, and his first “jobsite” experience came with a children’s coloring and sticker book that Volvo is passing out at trade shows and other events.

“That childhood happiness that comes when you’re doing something you love every day — Henrik not only showed that in his work, but in the way he interacted with his team members and his customers,” says Dave Foster, vice president, marketing and communications. “Capturing that in a coloring book character that would allow kids to have fun and play in the ‘dirt’ felt like the perfect fit to commemorate Henrik.”