From a humble beginning Dearborn Brass has grown into one of the worlds leading suppliers of wholesale plumbing products.

It all started in 1896 on Dearborn Street in Chicago, Illinois when Fred Erikson and Louis Klubber began their small manufacturing company Dearborn Brass to produce cast brass faucets and drain parts. In 1901 the company moved out of Chicago to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The two original owners struggled financially and began to solicit help from outside investors. In 1929, Ezak Cohn, the owner of a successful brass scrap company became the majority owner. Eventually Ezak turned the operation of the company over to two of his five sons, Nate and Ed Cohn. Ed was President of the company and ran the sales organization, while Nate was the Vice President and General Manger and ran the manufacturing operations of the company. It was under Nate and Ed Cohn that Dearborn began to expand all of its operations to become a national company.

After WWII the company expanded operations again by changing from cast brass to tubular brass products. In addition they began to modernize the operation by replacing their hand plating operation with an automated plating line, which was considered revolutionary for its time. Additional equipment was also purchased in the early 1950s to increase speed and quality. As Dearborn moved forward around this progressive time of growth the Cohn brothers developed the Dearborn checkerboard box in order to differentiate themselves from their competitors in the industry who typically sold product using a plain brown box. In 1964, as Dearborn continued to grow and broaden its market, the Cohn family purchased a small competitor called Texas Tubular Products Company , located in Tyler, Texas.

In 1972, Beatrice Foods Company purchased both Dearborn Brass and Texas Tubular Products Company. This acquisition brought to Dearborn an infusion of finances and a strong national reputation. With increased finances, Dearborn continued its growth by expanding its product offering. The most significant of these was in the areas of plastic tubular and plastic bath wastes.Dearborn was one of the first companies to develop and manufacture these products. In 1976, the name Texas Tubular Products was dropped and the company's products were marketed under the name of Dearborn Brass. In 1978, a decision was made to consolidate and expand operations by moving from two smaller plants in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to a new site in Tyler, Texas. In 1981, 20th Century Plastics was added as another part of Dearborn Brass.

Included in the Beatrice Foods family of companies were four other plumbing related companies, Chicago Specialty, Wrightway Manufacturing, Anchor Brass and Hoov-R-Line. Dearborn Brass along with these four companies were marketed under the name of The Plumbing Group. In l987, Beatrice Foods went through a leveraged buyout. The Plumbing Group became part of EII Holdings for a short period of time which was eventually purchased by American Brands. The Plumbing Group of Beatrice became part of a new entity called Master Brand Industries and was named 20th Century Companies. (Later renamed 21st Century Companies).

In 199O, American Brands (currently known as Fortune Brands) purchased Moen Incorporated a high quality faucet manufacturer. With the acquisition of Moen, American Brands formed the new Moen, which included Moen and all of the 21st Century Companies. In 1994, Dearborn expanded again with a new building addition, a new state-of-the-art plater and more new equipment. In 1997, Moen purchased CSI Donner, a well known supplier of bathroom accessories and grab bars.

Thus, Dearborn Brass has come full circle, starting as a small manufacturer of cast brass faucets and drain parts, to being part of one of the largest collection of plumbing products offered by one supplier.

Through all of these changes one thing has remained constant, the Dearborn Brass reputation for quality and service in the Plumbing Industry. Even though the company is part of a large entity the customer still expects and receives the personal service for which the company is known, and has been a big part of the company's success for the fust 100 years of business. Thank-You for your support of Dearborn Brass products and feel free to call our outstanding customer service department, dedicated to customer satisfaction at 800-321-9532.