It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that DPHA and its members learned of the unexpected passing of Fred Silverstein on April 28th. For anyone who knew Fred, many words come to mind - gentleman, icon, mentor and Fellow (to mention a few) - but perhaps the best word that would describe Fred to the decorative plumbing and hardware industry is "pioneer."
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 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. Through improved operations, 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 was a pioneer on both the dealer and manufacturer sides of the business. He intuitively understood the nature of each, and he was 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 liked 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, but for Fred it was how you handled 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 continually 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 past DPHA President, Steven Weinberg, joined California Faucets, Fred encouraged him to continue his involvement by remaining on the Board. By nature, Fred was not a public figure. Not everyone contributes the same way to organizations or industries. Fred was an intense behind-the-scenes “doer” by nature, but his impact was large.
Our heartfelt condolences go to the entire California Faucets and Silverstein families. Fred will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.
No comments:
Post a Comment