Founding Story

Silverstein family sits in California Faucets factory

How We Changed an Industry

When we started 30 years ago, the plumbing supply industry lived by a different set of rules. If it wasn’t in the catalog, it wasn’t available. Slow and spotty delivery. Poor or non-existent customer service. That's the way business was done.

Until Fred came along.

Fred Silverstein started California Faucets in 1988 with a simple premise: offer quality, customizable products, manufacturer locally, deliver in a timely manner, and provide unparalleled customer service. Remarkably, this "no-brainer" philosophy was, in fact, an industry first. By launching California Faucets, Fred provided customers with an experience unavailable elsewhere and alien to the old school industry.

What first began as a mom-and-pop business 30 years ago, grew into a family-run affair. Fred's son, Jeff, joined in 1997 to grow the business. Jeff's keen eye and passion for designing innovative product elevated our offerings. Noah Taft, a cousin, was recruited in 2002, bringing his Hollywood writer-producer background to build our brand. Jeff's sisters, Tina and Sue, also contributed their talents to the company marketing and sales efforts. After Jeff took over as CEO in 2010, Fred still came into the office every day, greeting every employee until he passed in March 2019. Fred's love and passion for California Faucets continues to motivate us every day.

Under the family's leadership, California Faucets remains poised for growth while still holding Fred's core values dear. We continue to set the industry standard in product innovation, craftsmanship, and service excellence. From our hands to your home, we look forward to serving you.

California Faucets' executive team
Team

Executive Team

As the only independently owned, custom faucet company in the United States, our executive team is California Faucets' leader. We aren't owned by a multi-national or conglomerate.

portrait of Fred Silverstein
Founder

Fred Silverstein

A true pioneer of the decorative plumbing industry, Fred was one of the first to bring faucets to a world that viewed plumbing products as merely utilitarian. He accomplished this earlier in his career as owner of Plumbing World, a Long Beach, California, plumbing supply store with an ahead-of-its-time decorative showroom. Fred then founded California Faucets in 1988. The mission: to produce superior quality, customizable faucets, that are not merely utilitarian, but that add a true design element to the bath. In recognition of Fred’s innovative contributions, he was inducted into the Decorative Plumbing & Hardware Association’s Council of Fellows in 2018. Fred passed in 2019, but his spirit of innovation and service lives on in the DNA of California Faucets.

portrait of Jeff Silverstein
Chief Executive Officer

Jeff Silverstein

After joining the company back in 1997 to help his father, Fred, grow the fledgling business, Jeff rapidly learned the ropes and applied his managerial talent and love of design to take the company to the next level. Under his stewardship, the company brought category-changing product like StyleDrain® and StyleTherm® to market, as well as broadened the product line to include every conceivable accessory to ensure customers could fully outfit their bath and kitchen with matching product. A former summer camp director and blues band guitarist, Jeff’s eclectic background enabled him to drive innovation in an old school industry.

portrait of noah taft
Chief Marketing Officer

Noah Taft

A prolific former writer-producer of television and film, Noah left Hollywood in 2002 to partner with his cousins in Huntington Beach and help evolve the California Faucets brand. Leaning on his strong creative background and love of story-telling, Noah was instrumental in honing the company’s message and ensuring it spoke meaningfully to customers and the design community at large. He regularly produces award-winning videos as an entertaining vehicle for the company's messaging.

Brian HS webcrop
Chief Operating Officer

Brian Hunt

Since the day he first set foot in a small Midwestern factory at 19, Brian has had a passion for manufacturing. Having worked in an array of companies, he notably spent several years at Dell, developing processes to enable customized, made-to-order production on a mass scale. With a background in engineering, Brian blends an analytical approach with a unique ability to communicate and motivate diverse groups of people.

Joining California Faucets in 2013, his leadership continues to ensure our teams in all parts of the business are working together with a common purpose

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