WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Anthony Altieri was a suit-wearing software consultant when he cashed in his stock options and starting hocking high-tech beer koozies.

Recognizing a niche market for keeping drinks colder than the average handheld foam insulator, the West Palm Beach resident designed a cone-shaped hoodie top to fit on a can-sized drink holder designed by Thermos.

He was awarded a patent for his Chilling the Most product in July, but began selling them at outdoor events nationwide in 2008.

"The company has gone gangbusters the last two-a-half years," said Altieri, 46. "Don't get me wrong though, it was a gamble, and there were some lean times."

Altieri, a Boston native, came to Florida in 2004 for a position with the technology firm Citrix. In 2007, he came across a Thermos-brand can insulator, which works by removing the air between two walls of stainless steel to reduce heat and cold conduction.

Anthony Altieri, founder and owner of Chilling the Most, at his sales booth. Altieri travels to dozens of events every year to sell his product, which can also be purchased online.

He thought it would work great with a beer bottle, and hired a designer to make his customized top a reality.

"We bought a few hundred units at first with no idea whether they'd be popular," Altieri said. "We sold out our first show."

Altieri sells the $16.99 Chilling the Most beer koozie at boat shows, bike rallies and air shows, traveling the country demonstrating his product in a 90-second pitch.

The product isn't available in stores yet, but he's built the business to a point where it's time to expand, said Altieri's mentor Jerry Steinberg.

Steinberg, incoming chairman for the Palm Beach chapter of SCORE, said he's working with Altieri on his marketing strategy and turning the growing company into a more structured and organized business. SCORE is a national non-profit group that helps small businesses.

"His company has gone from something he hoped would be successful to being successful," Steinberg said about Altieri. "He used to be able to take some cases of product to a show and sell them, but now he's got production schedules and pricing models and he's probably pretty close to needing a few added employees."

Altieri only has one other employee, a part-timer who handles customizing the product if a company wants to put its logo on it. He pays Seagull Industries for the Disabled to package and ship his product. The Riviera Beach-based program works with developmentally-challenged adults, training them for the workforce and to become self-reliant.

Chilling the Most's next expansion will be into Texas. Because Altieri lives in the Whitney condominium in downtown West Palm Beach, he has to move for five months while toxic Chinese drywall is removed. He's had some luck selling his product in Austin and plans to spend the time away from his condo pitching it out west.

Although Altieri said he's working harder than he ever has before, the decision to ditch his 9 to 5 job and grow a small business was the best he's ever made.

"When you leave a six-figure salary and a cushy job to embark on your own, it's scary," Altieri said. "But it was time for a change."

Information from: The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, http://www.pbpost.com