Lillehammer Bell

U.S. Ski Team Bell

Torino Bells

Elisabeth at the bell booth on a cold and snowy day during the World Cup Birds of Prey event in Beaver Creek, CO December 2005.

EvaMae Cook, Cowbell.com's Super Rep, and Elisabeth Halvorson, the bell lady, with their cow cars that mooed during the Salt Lake Olympics.

EvaMae Cook, Cowbell.com's Super Rep, and Elisabeth Halvorson, the bell lady, during the America's Opening at Park City Mountain Resort in 2003.

Elisabeth Halvorson aka the bell lady

The bell buddies, (l) Mary Lou Kohout, Rita Jenkins, and Elisabeth Halvorson ringing up bell sales during a cold day at the World Cup Birds of Prey event in Beaver Creek, CO December 2005.

Opening Bell of the New York Stock Exchange on the Salt Lake City Hall steps on February 11, 2002.

Elisabeth at the bell booth on a cold and snowy day during the World Cup Birds of Prey event in Beaver Creek, CO December 2005.

Skiing to work on a very cold day during the World Cup Birds of Prey event in Beaver Creek, CO December 2005.

Triathlon Team = one athlete + a herd of cheering spectators. Triathlete Peter Solvkjar is sponsored by Cowbell.com.

BIO For Elisabeth Halvorson
Cowbell.com Founder and Bell Lady

Known for her creativity, resourcefulness and persistence, Elisabeth Halvorson, founder and president of Cowbell.com, has carved out a niche for herself as the world's foremost cheering cowbell expert. It's a narrow niche; she's really the only one. But it's a niche that developed through her life's marvelous serendipitous connections. Elisabeth's passion for skiing hooked her on the Winter Olympics at age 7, and her Norwegian-born parents gave her important cultural connections, including ski lessons. While she became the youngest member of the National Ski Patrol at age 15, and after college a bona fide ski bum at Alta, Utah, her life took some turns and eventually led her away from the ski slopes. In 1995, Elisabeth, the Olympics, and skiing intersected again, this time with golden bells ringing in the foreground.   

In a business that has grown steadily since 1995, Elisabeth, also known as “the Bell Lady,” is the sole U.S. importer of golden MOEN bells from Norway. These are the noisy bells that the world first heard ringing madly to cheer on athletes at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. Originally made to locate sheep, goats, and cows in Norway's mountain pastures by a small factory in a tiny Norwegian town, the bells now add a noisy clamor at sports events around the world and are coveted souvenirs.  

Elisabeth consults daily with customers to select the best bell for their trophy, event, or promotion. Her firm has delivered hundreds-of-thousands of bells to events ranging from the Olympics to little league playoffs, school bands, and even Wall Street.

The Salt Lake Olympics in 2002 focused Elisabeth's entrepreneurial vision. With over 30 tons of cowbell success during the Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games in airfreight shipments from Norway, she pursued and acquired licensing agreements with the US Ski Team, the US Olympic Committee, Vail Resorts, and the upcoming 20th Olympic Winter Games. Even as the slopes are being groomed in Torino, Italy, Elisabeth is coordinating the delivery of tons of MOEN Bells from Norway to Torino, and the United States for the 20th Olympic Winter Games. Each collectible sheep, goat and cow bell is engraved with the Torino Olympic Winter Games logo.

In mid-February during the Torino Olympics, Elisabeth will be ringing up sales on QVC. She has previously appeared with her bells in numerous TV, radio, and newspaper stories, including: NBC News (Bay Area and Salt Lake City affiliates), CBS News (Bay Area affiliate), Resort Area Networks (Vail and Park City), National Public Radio, Park City Radio, Vail Radio, USA Today, The Record, The San Francisco Chronicle, Marin Independent Journal, Ridgewood News, Norway Times, among other media outlets.

Elisabeth brings serious credentials to her fun business. After earning an MBA in international business and finance from the University of San Francisco, she landed her dream job as senior marketing consultant with the Norwegian Trade Council in San Francisco. She started her cowbell business after being laid off. In hindsight, she feels it was the best thing that happened to her since it connected her again with the Olympics and those noisy bells. If she has her way, they're not about to stop ringing either!