Pfister (firm) - History

History

Price Pfister was founded by Emil Price and William Pfister in 1910, when the company introduced its first product, a garden faucet. Over the next decade, the Price Pfister’s product line expanded to include other types of faucets, valves, and hose nozzles for indoor sinks and bathtubs. Aside from producing plumbing fixtures, during WWI and WWII, Price Pfister produced military items such as aircraft fittings and hand grenade shells.

During the postwar housing boom in the late 1940s, Price Pfister began to specialize in residential products. The company became a household name after the widespread popularity of their Crown Jewel faucet line in 1950.

From 1960-1970, Price Pfister accelerated in growth, starting with the construction of a 25 acres (100,000 m2) manufacturing plant in Pacoima, California, which became the largest foundry West of the Mississippi. Toward late 1960s Norris Industries, Inc. acquired Price Pfister and renamed it to Price Pfister Brass Manufacturing Company.

In 1980, Price Pfister became the first manufacturer to convert to ceramic cartridges, which enabled the industry’s first lifetime guarantee against leaks and drips. Price Pfister is still remembered by its tagline playing off the distinctive company name … Price Pfister, the Pfabulous Pfaucet with the PFunny Name. By 1987, Price Pfister had gained 14% of the U.S. faucet market. Two years later, Price Pfister was acquired by the Black and Decker Corporation.

Joining Kwikset security hardware in 1999, Price Pfister and Kwikset formed the Black and Decker Hardware and Home Improvement Group based in Lake Forest, California. Following the 2010 Stanley acquisition of Black and Decker, Price Pfister is now part of the Stanley Black and Decker Hardware and Home Improvement Group. Following the merger, Price Pfister changed its name to simply Pfister.

On October 9, 2012, The Wall Street Journal reported that Stanley Black & Decker had agreed to sell it's Hardware and Home Improvement Group, including Pfister, to Spectrum Brands Holdings Incorporated. The transaction is expected to close by December 31, 2012.