T&S Brass Celebrates 75th Anniversary with Commitment to Innovative Solutions

T&S Brass 75th Anniversary
  • McKee Foodservice
  • Imperial Dade
  • RATIONAL USA
  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • Day & Nite
  • Atosa USA
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • Texas Pete
  • RAK Porcelain
  • AyrKing Mixstir
Follow TFS on Google News

For a company to celebrate seven plus decades of quality manufacturing, there simply must be a secret. For T&S Brass and Bronze Works, Inc., there is simply just a “Made for Hollywood” back story. 

T&S originated in Queens, New York, when current president Claude Theisen’s father George Theisen —along with his uncle and grandfather— banded together to create a beauty parlor spray for women’s hair after World War II. 

“It turns out that the beauty parlor spray didn’t go anywhere, but somebody passed a law in New Jersey that they had to wash off dishes before they went into to a dishwasher. So, they modified the beauty parlor spray, and it became a pre-rinse unit, and that product sold,” Theisen said. The rest as they say is history. 

The pre-rinse unit was the first of many innovations that would allow T&S to quickly rise within manufacturing and selling in the food service and plumbing occupations. About a year after the initial release of the product, demand for the pre-rinse took off. T&S found a high demand for the item following the war-time era, and the blossoming of restaurants and other commercial kitchen dishwashing environments.  

In the following 20 years, T&S started adding items to their production line that were needed in commercial kitchens, including faucets and alternate pre-rinse units. As the company’s foodservice business grew, it would find success in the medical laboratory industry. 

  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • Atosa USA
  • Imperial Dade
  • RAK Porcelain
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • Day & Nite
  • Texas Pete
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • McKee Foodservice
  • RATIONAL USA
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • AyrKing Mixstir

When Claude Theisen joined the company in the early 70’s, he was entrusted with building manufacturers’ rep networks to serve the plumbing, foodservice, and laboratory industries. With that growth, the company had to find a larger facility and thus T&S moved south. In the early 70s, the company developed its headquarters in Asheville, North Carolina, which later shifted to Travelers Rest, South Carolina towards the end of the decade. 

Upon moving and merging the two industries, T&S began catering to a wider range of audiences. “Our products are for all kinds of restaurants, anywhere from McDonald’s to a high-end five-star restaurant. Universities, cafeterias, hospitals, patient rooms, lab lines, any non-residential commercial plumbing product, we work for,” Theisen said. 

That shift in consumer base from strictly restaurants came with the demand for more products and innovations from T&S. Along with the changes in audiences, the world outside was changing too. Legislation created new opportunity for T&S. The amendments to the Safe Water Drinking Act (SWDA) in the mid 90s made it so that products in the industry had to pass certain standards and certifications before they were qualified to be sold commercially. As legislation and expectations shifted, T&S did as well. 

One of the keys to T&S’s longevity has been its continual ability to listen and respond to customer needs. Under Theisen’s guidance, the company has created a culture that fosters innovative thinking internally. “You’re always looking for new ideas, new products. Somebody comes up with an idea, somebody sees something, tries something. Sometimes it succeeds, sometimes it doesn’t,” Theisen said.

T&S Brass DurapullThe successes for T&S have kept the company running strong for 75 years and continues to propel it forward. The Covid-19 era has been no exception for the company, as a time when creative innovation was a necessity for T&S. While supply chain challenges impacted the speediness of its reputation, T&S persisted and the demand for their products continued to be strong. “As long as there’s a need for dishwashing equipment, there will be a need for our product,” Theisen said. 

That demand is something Theisen expects to launch T&S into the future. Knowing that they sell quality equipment is a point of pride and certainty that the company will continue to thrive. 

Although how and where people will continue to evolve, Theisen believes that a constant factor will always be a necessity of cleanliness within the food service and plumbing fields. Although not ready to predict the future, Theisen brought fascinating perspective: “My grandmother was alive for both the Wright Brother’s first flight, and Neil Armstrong being the first person to walk on the moon.” 

Among wide innovations in a single industry, adaptation is key in maintaining a presence. “We’re constantly looking for new ideas, constantly trying to improve the product,” Theisen concluded. While the tools to ensure cleanliness over the last century have evolved, the need for quality service and products never changes. 

From humble beginnings of a beauty salon spray, T&S has emerged as a world leader in creating solutions for the restaurant and foodservice professional and the service industry that supports America’s commercial kitchens. 


To learn more about T&S Brass, visit their website

  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • McKee Foodservice
  • RAK Porcelain
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • RATIONAL USA
  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • Texas Pete
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • Day & Nite
  • Imperial Dade
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • Atosa USA