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 Firclay, 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)
Joy Munshower - Dealer Manager and Art Director
Joy Munshower is a long time veteran of the construction, tile and stone industries. She is absolutely passionate about tile, stone and bronze, its uses, design layout, applications, installation and maintenance. She has 15 years+ of experience as a sculptor, tile maker and interior designer, having previously worked with prominent tile and stone installation companies as well as several of the industries largest tile manufacturers and distributors. Joy has been with Fireclay for the past two years and has really brought Fireclay into the mainstream with her designs and imagery. More on Joy can be found at her own Tile Goddess site. When not at Fireclay, Joy enjoys spending time with her fiancee and their two dogs in the wilderness or at the climbing gym! Joy 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).
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 - 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 are 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!
