The Fireclay team is composed of folks completely dedicated and passionate to what we do. They include:
Paul Burns - Founder and Chief Ceramicist
Paul has been associated with tile for 30 years, first assisting his tile maker uncle at the age of ten. He held several jobs within the tile industry and then formed his own company, Fireclay Tile, Inc. in 1985. Since founding Fireclay, Paul has been a pioneer in the ceramic tile industry coming up with numerous inventions, being one of the first to use recycled materials in his products, and earning the trust and respect of thousands of loyal customers. Paul received his BA from University of California at Berkeley. When not at Fireclay, Paul enjoys coaching his daughter’s Little League baseball team. Paul can be reached at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Eric Edelson - Business Guy
Eric Edelson joined Fireclay in 2009 to manage the business. Previously, Eric was the Vice President of Finance and Business Development at Nuun & Company, the leading sports beverage product in specialty retail. Before Nuun, Eric spent four years at Lehman Brothers in its Private Equity and Principal Investments groups. Eric has a BA from Amherst College and an MBA from Stanford University. Eric is an avid runner loves spending his weekends in the Marin Headlands. Eric can be reached at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Alex Bolanos - Administrative
Alex has worked at Fireclay for over 10 years and manages our orders and customer service. She is exceptionally detail oriented and friendly, and truthfully she could teach MBAs proper customer service. When not at the office Alex enjoys spending time with her two children. You can reach Alex at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Dearsy Ganestri - Showroom
Dearsy joined Fireclay in 2010 to manage our Factory Showroom. Dearsy is a professional interior designer and has been satisfying clients design needs for over ten years. You can reach Dearsy at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Ramiro Plascencia - Production Manager
Fireclay is blessed to have some of the most loyal employees including Ramiro Plascencia. Ramiro is an exceptionally skilled craftsmen and production manager and has been working at Fireclay since 1993. Ramiro manages Fireclay’s sustainable manufacturing operation in Aromas, CA. He shares a passion for making beautiful ceramic products and will do everything to ensure our customers are 100% satisfied. The production team can be reached at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Mushtaque Khan - Glaze Master
Mushtaque came to the United States in 1986, and while he originally thought he was going to interview at an electronics company, he stumbled into Fireclay and asked Paul for a job. Fast forward 24 years later and Mushtaque has become a glaze master unlike any other. Showing up for work every day in his lab coat, Mushtaque works wonders using only the finest grit and glaze ingredients. Mushtaque ensures we do everything right when it comes to glazes - no lead, no off-gases, only the best. The colors he produces are rich and vibrant, and with time he can produce almost anything. While Mushtaque constantly tries to improve our glaze consistency, even he admits that our color variation is what makes Fireclay Tile most unique. Mushtaque can be reached at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Mayra Melchor - Production Office Manager
Mayra joined Fireclay in August 2009 as a rookie in the tile industry but has quickly learned the difference of a single bullnose and radius bullnose. Mayra was previously a teacher, and earned her BA in Physical Education and Health. As part of the production team Mayra guarantees that all orders are individually inspected and ensures that the customer is getting exactly what they ordered. When not at work Mayra enjoys spending time with her family and boyfriend and can be found bowling, hiking, playing volleyball, soccer, football, baseball, golf, kayaking, or rafting. You can reach Mayra at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Martin Zepeda - Founder and Boneyard Guru
Martin is one of the original four at Fireclay. Martin can be best reached by calling our main number, (408) 275-1182 and asking for Martin. Martin is “old school” and prefers the phone over email, so give us a call and ask for him. Martin is an exceptional cook and is the BBQ master at any Fireclay outing!
Ramiro Lopez
Ramiro Lopez has been working for Fireclay Tile for over 20 years. His first job with Fireclay was sealing and staining saltillos. He was soon promoted to making 4x4’s in the extruder. He then again was moved to the glazing department where he has spent most of his time since working here. He is now the Glaze Department Manager and oversees that all the glazers spray just the right amount of glaze over every tile, no more no less. When he’s not at the factory Ramiro likes to spend time with his wife and 3 kids.
Kate Fox - Customer Satisfaction
Kate Fox joined Fireclay in 2010 as a recent fine arts graduate of the University of Connecticut. At Fireclay Tile, Kate is responsible for maintaining our San Jose Factory Showroom, our sample library, and assisting customers with sales and customer service questions. She’s currently pursuing a degree in interior design and business administration at West Valley College. While not working, she loves cooking, writing, and photography (you can view her portfolio here: http://katelynfox.daportfolio.com). She’s also an avid movie-goer and enjoys making short films. Kate can be reached at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Meika Pope - Dealer Manager
Meika joined Fireclay in 2010 and is responsible for managing our dealers. Meika is a a long time resident of the Bay Area and began her career in stone sales with a marble and granite fabricator right out of high school. She then spent 18 years as the national dealer representative for a slate importer in San Francisco. In her spare time she enjoys hiking with her husband and our miniature pinscher, biking, poker and darts. Meika can be reached at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Amie Johnson - Design Specialist
Amie rejoined Fireclay Tile late in 2009 to enhance our customers’ experiences, focusing specifically on the professional trade as well as homeowners throughout the United States. Amie is a professional interior designer with a BA in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Interior and Architectural Design. She graduated from the Design Institute of San Diego. Amie is an active full-time mother, as well, to two wonderful children. Away from Fireclay, Amie enjoys spending time with family and creating one-of-a-kind photo albums. Amie can be reached at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
