Fred Siilverstein (pictured on the left) is one of the two newest
members of the DPHA Council of Fellows (the other inductee will be
talked about next week). The Council was established to recognize
career contributions of industry leaders and to provide a forum where
those leaders can continue to give back to the industry that they have
helped shape. Case in point is the DPHA Alberto Comini Memorial
Scholarship. The Scholarship program is run by the Council of Fellows
and rewards two $3,000 annual grants to the children or grandchildren of
DPHA members.
A true pioneer of the decorative plumbing industry, Fred
Silverstein founded Plumbing World, a small plumbing supply house in
Long Beach, California, back in 1977, and was willing to take the risk
of being an early adopter, building out an extensive showroom, and
becoming one of the first distributors to promote such lines as Grohe, Artistic
Brass and Harden. He never looked back, and has spent every year since
then innovating and supporting not only the decorative plumbing
industry, but also the independent channel.
After growing Plumbing World into a local decorative plumbing
destination and a brief stint distributing decorative faucets on the
West Coast, he created California Faucets in 1988. In an industry that
accepted 6 to 8 week lead times as normal and acceptable, Fred strove to
do better. Whether through improved operations, increased stock levels
or "quick ship" programs, the entire industry now benefits from this
massive shift as what is viewed as an acceptable lead time.
While the two companies Fred founded obviously speak to his
exceptional entrepreneurial talents, they also represent a very rare
accomplishment: Fred has been a pioneer on both the dealer and
manufacturer side of the business. He intuitively understands the nature
of each, and he is undoubtedly among a very small group of individuals
who truly developed and deeply impacted the growth and trajectory of the
decorative plumbing industry we know today.
As Fred likes to say: "You can tell if you have a real
partner, not when things are going well, but when there is a problem."
That's when you find out who's really supporting you. In plumbing, there
are always going to be occasional problems. It's how you handle them
that matters. A short anecdote to illustrate this philosophy:
When Noah Taft first joined California Faucets, he took a sales trip
with Fred to learn the ropes. At the first stop, Fred succeeded in
convincing a new customer to open an account and order a display on the
spot. With the hard-won order clutched in-hand, Noah's jaw dropped as
Fred proceeded to say, "Thanks for the order and I can't wait until we
screw-up for the first time". Fred went on to explain to the new
customer, as well as to his neophyte sales executive, that we are all
human and "stuff" inevitably happens in this business - it's how you
handle those problems that truly define the success of the business
relationship.
As for Fred's support of DPHA, he was a charter member of the
organization and has supported it, not only with annual sponsorships and
exhibiting at the annual conference, but by encouraging key people in
the company to get involved. Most notably, when DPHA Past President,
Steven Weinberg joined California Faucets, Fred encouraged him to
continue his involvement by remaining on the Board. By nature, Fred is
not a public figure. Not everyone contributes the same way to
organizations or industries. Fred is an intense behind-the-scenes "doer" by nature, but his impact is large.
Fred recently turned 85, yet he still goes to the factory every
day. Why? Because the independent decorative plumbing industry is in his
blood and he doesn't want to miss anything. He lives and breathes the
industry, which is why his induction into the DPHA Council of Fellows
should come as a surprise to no one.
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