It was 1937, the tail end of the great depression, but the birth of the nation's most quality conscious manufacturer of pipe nipples - Merit Brass Company. Originally, Merit Brass was founded under the name Perfection Nipple Co. by Louis Schlessinger and Frank Lifshitz. Perfection produced iron & steel nipples, brass furnace coils and special steel nipples. After WWII, Perfection Nipple expanded its manufacturing capabilities to include brass and copper nipples as well as embarking upon the master-distribution of gas-stove connectors, air filters and plumbing tools. Their venture into master distribution would become extremely important to the company's future. It was also during this time that Perfection Nipple became Reliance Tubular Products.
In 1961, Reliance Tubular was purchased by a larger corporation based out of Indiana. As a result, Merit Brass Co. was formed in Cleveland, OH as a limited operation in which the partners agreed to not produce any nipples for a specified period. Lou's son and son-in-law, Sheldon Schlessinger and Simon Lipp assumed management positions as the company added a full line of threaded brass fittings and by 1963, began producing pipe nipples again with their manufacturing focus being brass and chrome plated brass nipples. Merit began manufacturing stainless steel pipe nipples in the early 1980's; and by the mid-1980's broadened our offering to include stainless steel pipe, valves and fittings.
Merit's reputation continues to be rooted in quality and today, we have grown to become America's largest manufacturer of stainless steel, brass, chrome plated brass, and aluminum nipples; and a highly respected master-distributor of related fittings, flanges, pipe and valves. Merit is now led by Lou's grandsons, Marc Schlessinger and Alan Lipp and Sheldon's sons-in-law, Michael Charna and Edward Waters.
Our business operates with unquestionable ethics and integrity and we take great pride in furnishing America's leading PVF and Plumbing Wholesale Distributors with the same world class products and personal service that Lou and Frank established.
| Pictured top to bottom: Merit's second and first generation left to right -- Simon Lipp, Sheldon Schlessinger, Frank Lifshitz and Louis Schlessinger; Merit's third generation left to right -- Marc Schlessinger, Edward Waters, Alan Lipp, and Michael Charna; reliance tubular building, excavating for Merit's Headquarters, merit employee operating a threading machine. Pictured left to right: ground breaking ceremony for Merit's current headquarters, Merit's headquarters. |
