Company History
Brasstech was founded in 1987 when Ross and Geoffrey Escalette, a father and son team, recognized a need in the plumbing industry for reasonably priced products made of quality materials and crafted with the same care given to more expensive offerings.
To fulfill the need, they began devoting endless time to developing sources for plumbing fixtures and decorative trim. They took on the role as cultivators and craftsman of their products as well as their employees.
In 1989, the company made the first major addition to its product offering with the creation of Newport Brass, a premium brand of solid brass faucets and fixtures. In the 1990's, the Escalette's added multi-operational machinery and sophisticated finishing techniques. With these additions, the finishing expertise evolved to include physical vapor deposition (PVD), a highly specialized technology mastered by a few in the industry. At this time Newport Brass instituted one of the defining and enduring features of the brand by being one of the first brands in the industry to offer a multitude of finish choices.
The Newport Brass business more than doubled in size by 1998, and the company expanded its offering with a quality competitively priced value line (currently Newport 365) of faucets and fittings with instant delivery turnaround time. By 2000, Brasstech was available in all 50 states along with Newport Brass which expanded its lines to include console racks, bar faucets and cabinet hardware. Today, Newport Brass is the preferred brand for customization and quality in kitchen and bathroom products offering solid brass construction,
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finish options and multiple style and pricing options.
In 2002, Masco Corporation acquired Brasstech, Inc. from the Escalette family. Masco is one of the world's largest manufacturers of brand-name products for the home improvement and new home construction markets including faucets, kitchen and bath cabinets, paints and stains, bath and shower units, spas, showering and plumbing specialties, windows and decorative hardware. Another important change occurred in 2004 when Masco merged another of its companies, Ginger, with Brasstech to better position Masco in two additional segments of the market.
Ginger, a design innovation driven company founded by father and son team Alan and Marc Bickler, had been designing solid forged brass bathroom accessories, lighting and mirrors since 1983. By the time Masco acquired them in 2000, they were an established leader in the industry. Over the course of the next three years, Ginger introduced motiv, an urban chic brand of bathroom accessories, lighting and mirrors created to fill a middle-market niche and finalize plans for luxury faucets under the Ginger brand. Masco officially merged the accessory leader with Brasstech, Inc. in 2004.
Today Brasstech, Inc. is a company with two brands, Newport Brass and Ginger - offering quality crafted kitchen and bath fixtures, accessories, lighting and mirrors ranging from mid to luxury price points.
In recent years, Newport Brass and Ginger have received industry recognition for their quality, wide range of product choices and outstanding with customer relationships. Customization and quality in new product development and in business is the key to both brands' continued success.
Newport Brass and Ginger's growth from modest family-owned businesses to recognized national brands success is a result of employees striving for the best, maintaining the highest integrity and offering consumer-driven product choices at the highest quality construction. As part of Masco, Brasstech continues to lead in the luxury kitchen and bath industry by providing innovative, high quality solutions that enhance and beautify living spaces.