Our Team

Commercial Sales

Katherine Lee

Katherine is a recent addition to the fireclay team but an old friend to the company.  She has spent 5 years as a designer and project manager in landscape and interior design.  Her first experience selling Fireclay was in 2012 while working for a sustainably focused home improvement store in Austin. Katherine has a degree in architecture from the University of Texas.  She can be found drawing, hiking, or anywhere near a horse. 
 

Commercial Sales

Katie Emigh

Growing up in California's Central Valley, Katie has always been passionate about her native state. After attaining her art degree from UC Santa Cruz, Katie spent time in San Diego and finally made her home in San Francisco. Working in picture framing for the last decade while simultaneously inching toward her master's degree in Library Science, Katie has a keen love for organization, art and design. She delights in afternoons spent listening to NPR, having a bizarrely comprehensive knowledge of modern television and road trips in her little red car. 

Favorite Things About Fireclay Tile: that our tile is a gorgeous artisan product with an ethical heart of gold
 

Social Media + Content Creator

Lindsey Bourcier

Lindsey is a Massachusetts native with a Bachelor's in MarComm and Public Relations and a Master's in Communications Management. Previous to Fireclay, Lindsey served as the Marketing and Communications Manager for a small, San Francisco compounding pharmacy. Lindsey's passion for design brought her to Fireclay, where she currently works as a Social Media + Content Creator. When she's not at Fireclay, Lindsey enjoys urban beekeeping and hanging out with her dog, Peach.  

Favorite thing about Fireclay: Canine coworkers! 

Copywriter

Pearl Shin

Fireclay’s resident wordsmith, Pearl Shin is a Pisces that hails from Chattanooga, TN. After spending her adolescence in Nashville, home of country music and backdrop to Justin Bieber’s Christmas hit “Mistletoe,” she relocated to Boston to study Communications at Boston College. Upon graduation, she landed a job as a product copywriter for Joss & Main, Wayfair’s high-end furniture and decor flash sales site. Around this time she was also serendipitously introduced to Eric Edelson, who was seeking a freelance copywriter for a little company called Fireclay Tile. Over 300 color descriptions and countless gallery projects later, Pearl joined the Fireclay team full-time in April 2015. When Pearl is not writing you can find her at karaoke bars channeling Celine Dion or staring longingly at her embroidered portrait of Nicolas Cage.

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: The free swag.

Partnerships + Public Relations

Kali Robledo

Kali hails from the Pacific Northwest and majored in Journalism and double minored in Comparative Literature and Communication Studies at the University of Oregon. After working at a magazine and then visual merchandising, her interest in interior design grew and she joined the sales team at Fireclay. Six months later, she moved over to marketing where she manages partnerships and PR. 

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: I love that every single tile is made by hand and made to order. 
 

Drawing Program Manager

Denise Bahr

Earned a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design at San Francisco State University. Early in her college career  she had an art background that evolved into a love for interior design. Her approach to interior design is to make each room a functional piece of art. In her free time she dabbles in various DIY projects while blasting Foreigner.

Favorite Thing About Fireclay Tile: The numerous ways that we strive for sustainability and our Contemporary Hand Painted Collection.

Director of Commercial Sales

Caitlyn Child

Caitlyn moved from Portland, Oregon to join the Dream Team in 2014. She has a degree in Art History with an emphasis on Industrial and Architectural Design History. Over the last several years Caitlyn has been teaching art classes and delivering excellent customer service as a case manager. She is passionate about design on a micro level from fixtures, building materials and lighting. In her spare time she enjoys exploring her new city's various markets and restaurants, building furniture and bowling.

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: The constant experimentation and innovation of colors, shapes and hand-painted patterns creating infinite design possibilities.

Sr. Graphic Designer

Serena Sea

Serena hails from Southern California. She moved to the Bay Area for art school and graduated with a degree in graphic design from California College of the Arts. Before joining Fireclay Tile, Serena worked at several small Bay Area design studios where she worked on branding, print and web design projects, oftentimes for clients in the nonprofit sector. In her free time Serena enjoys cooking, gardening, bicycling and doing DIY projects with her husband. She's also completely obsessed with her boxer pup, Herschel.

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: The amazing colors and timeless design
 

Design Consultant

Brittany Buchser

Brittany’s background in Art History at UC Santa Cruz helped her discover a vast archive of diverse architectural elements and art movements that have become influences in her own life. Her post-graduate education in Interior Design at FIDM and professional experience with sales and design consultant services  contributes to her awareness for the design and installation processes. Brittany values personal connections and collaboration with clients while creating long lasting and unique designs using Fireclay tile. Brittany enjoys the yogi-lifestyle, singing/ playing guitar, & anything outdoors. 

Senior Design Consultant

Lauren Ritchie

Lauren is a Bay Area native and has a degree in Business Economics from UCSB. She worked in business management for several years before beginning interior design classes and eventually joining the Fireclay team. Lauren brings her strong background in customer service and design to her role as Design Consultant, where she helps online customers select the perfect tile for their projects. In her free time Lauren enjoys listening to music, snapping pictures, and exploring the Bay Area and beyond!

Lead Generation Customer Acquisition Specialist

Cleo Schiff

Cleo is a San Francisco born native who has lived all over the west coast, basically anywhere her dad could get a good wave session in. After graduating from UC Davis, Cleo moved to Bangkok, Thailand to teach English for a year before moving into the e-learning software industry. It was an amazing experience for her as the Thai culture is so rich in history and influential in design today.   Upon returning to San Francisco, Cleo headed up online customer acquisition for Own Products.  Now she manages Fireclay's lead generation platform and customer acquisition.

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile:  I am proud to be a part of such an influential company with roots in sustainable manufacturing!  Tile to the People!

Glaze Master

Mushtaque Khan

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.

Extruder Superintendent

Fernando Menchaca

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: I love the process of creating tile; from my role of making mixes, to watching fresh warm clay load onto the drying racks, and finally the glazing, firing and perfecting of orders for shipment.

Kiln Station Captain

Carlos Plascencia

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: Our kilns and how they make beautiful tile.

Decorative Station Captain

Rosa Plascencia

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: I love to handpaint Cuerda Seca tiles.

Glaze Station Manager

Juan Carlos Garcia

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: I love the different colors, sizes and shapes that I glaze every day. It is never boring.

Senior Design Consultant

Sabrina Vance

Sabrina grew up in Connecticut, but moved to California a several years ago to San Luis Obispo, where she studied Interior Design. In her free time, she enjoys playing the guitar and songwriting. 

Favorite thing about Fireclay: Seeing all the creative tile ideas designers, architects, and homeowners come up with. 

Commercial Sales

Alex Bolanos

Alex has worked at Fireclay for over 13 years and manages our trade 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 three children. You can reach Alex at alex@fireclaytile.com.

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: The hand made characteristics of our tile.

Plant Engineer

Ramiro Plascencia

Ramiro is an exceptionally skilled craftsmen and production manager and has been working at Fireclay since 1993. Ramiro manages Fireclay's factory in Aromas, CA.

Showroom Design Consultant

Wendy Ruffier

Wendy attended interior design classes at Canada College which reignited her love for interior design after raising her children. Wendy has previously worked in two high-end showrooms and a design build firm before joining Fireclay. Throughout her 15 years of experience, Wendy's favorite part of a project is still designing with tile. 

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: The Cuerda Seca handpainted collection. This technique has been popular through out the world for centuries. I love that Fireclay is keeping the art alive.

Creative Director

Jamie Chappell

Jamie joined the Fireclay Tile team as Creative Director in 2013. Prior to working with Fireclay Tile she sold the companies products in boutique retail shops throughout the country. Her expertise lies in merchandising, product development and retail store design with over 10 years experience in home improvement retail. She has worked for sustainably minded start-ups in Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA and Austin, TX. Her passion for bold art and clean design with a healthy dose of restraint, drive most creative decisions in her life and at Fireclay Tile. Away from the daily creative routine, you’ll find her in the pottery studio, camping, hiking, or if she’s lucky… two stepping. Jamie holds a degree in Art History from Virginia Tech.

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: The raw creative energy that exists at our Aromas, CA factory.

CEO

Eric Edelson

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 eric@fireclaytile.com.

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: Our customers - they rock

Founder and Chief Ceramicist

Paul Burns

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.

Favorite thing about Fireclay Tile: Our Colors

Design Consultant

Tiffannie White

Oakland native Tiffannie White comes to Fireclay with an extensive background in Culinary Arts where she started a company specializing in film catering. With her mother and grandmother's eye for interior design and entrepreneurial spirit embedded in her, Tiffannie studied Architecture and became a Design Consultant with Fireclay Tile. Connecting with people and providing meaningful experiences is her strong suit. Outside of Fireclay, you can catch Tiffannie creating memories with her family, enjoying the outdoors, trying Pinterest recipes, freelancing design projects, and dancing with her kids. 

Favorite thing about Fireclay: Getting the opportunity to help a client's design vision come to life, and all the wonderful connections made with both clients and colleagues. 

Design Consultant

Terapan Lilittham

A San Francisco native, Terapan graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Integrative Biology and worked in healthcare, sustainability, and visual merchandising before breaking into the interior design industry. He eventually started his own Home Organizing & Design business which introduced him to Fireclay Tile. At Fireclay, he has found a love for the sustainable production process and enjoys guiding clients to thoughtfully manifest their tile dreams. In his free time, you'll find him researching new organizational hacks, planning his next vacation, or looking for new restaurants & bars in SF to explore. 

Favorite thing about Fireclay: All the friendly faces. We're all real people who just really love tile. 

Design Consultant

Jennifer "Jenni" Albee

Jenni is a Bay Area local who graduated from San Francisco State University with Bachelor’s of Science from the School of Design and Industry. Her unique design education background paired with her love of giving back to the community led her to Fireclay Tile. Jenni has always been passionate about environmental and cultural preservation and currently serves as Fireclay’s Lead B-Corp Officer. Jenni is known for her love of shape, color and expressionism. You can find her organizing a road trip, soaking in natural hot springs, listening to live music, or supporting her community through volunteer work. 

Favorite thing about Fireclay: The incredible level of empowerment that Fireclay provides women in the design/build industry.

Design Consultant

Robin Milliken

Robin is a Portland native and has a degree in Printmaking from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. 

Daughter of a landscaper and ceramicist, she's always had an appreciation for the natural world, craft, and design. Working as a Design Consultant at Fireclay Tile she's found the perfect place to combine these sensibilities, and loves helping clients find something special for their projects. In her spare time, she can be found at DIY music and art events, working in her studio, and enjoying the outdoors. Robin can be reached at Robin@Fireclaytile.com

Favorite thing about Fireclay: Getting to geek out on a daily basis with other tile appreciators!

Commercial Sales

Christy Gatchell

Christy has worked with luxury brands in the Dallas Design Center for most of her career. With her Interior Design Degree from Stephen F. Austin she naturally gravitates to commercial and residential interiors and architecture. 

Christy Joined Fireclay Tile in May 2017 and has worked on an array of Texas projects including The Adolphus Hotel, Epic Deep Ellum, The Statler Hotel, Whole Foods, Hiatus Day Spa, Facebook Corporate, and Sixty Vines Restaurant just to name a few. When Christy is not working you can find her cheering on her kids at their sporting events. Her favorite one to watch is lacrosse. Christy also loves to cook, walk her dog,  hang by the pool or lake, and travel.

Commercial Sales

Sarah Roorda

Experienced in launching products and branding campaigns on a national scale, Sarah has worked in A+D sales and marketing strategy for over 10 years. Her love of design started young—her first BIG project involved meticulously replicating a pattern from Kmart's Martha Stewart Bedding Collection onto her bedroom walls. It is this same commitment to customization that explains Sarah's love for Fireclay and its nearly infinite combination of colors and sizes resulting in spaces that are entirely unique to the project and firm. Sarah resides in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn and can often be found wandering its streets with her dog, Frankie.

Commercial Sales

Victoria Engels

Victoria joined the Fireclay team in 2016 with over a decade of experience working in architectural and design communities throughout the Midwest. She has a degree in Interior Design from the University of Wisconsin Stout and resides in the vibrant city of Chicago. She has spent her career immersed in the materials side of the design world and has cultivated a lifelong interest in sustainable building practices. An avid traveler, Victoria is curious about global art and design and it's impact on community and culture. Outside of Fireclay, you can find her exploring Chicago with her family and meeting as many dogs as she can.

Commercial Sales

Donna Nealy

Prior to joining Fireclay, Donna worked for a large tile company and collaborated with architects and designers throughout the Northwest on commercial projects. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, attempting dance moves in a Zumba class and walking her newly rescued Whippets, Rolo and Nella.

Showroom Design Consultant

Grace Van Oosbree

Grace is a Californian through and through and has lived all over the state from Oakland to San Diego to Santa Cruz. She has a Bachelor of Fine Art from Cal State East Bay, with an emphasis in spacial planning and color theory. Grace also has a strong background in visual merchandising, sales management, and installation art. Fireclay perfectly blends her two passions: interior spaces and environmental sustainability. In her off time, you can find Grace crafting, gardening, and playing with her dog Basil!

Favorite thing about Fireclay: The stunning handmade product! Each piece of tile has it's own character and personality that blends with the others for that perfectly, imperfect harmony. 

Showroom Manager

Jane Pantsyr

Born and raised in Europe, Jane relocated to California in her adolescence. It was there that she found her place in the Bay Area in Santa Cruz, where she studied Art History before moving to Berkeley.  

Passionate about the environment, Jane has always chosen to work with the most sustainable and ecologically responsible brands throughout her career.

In her free time you can find Jane exploring new hiking trails with her dog Lada, tending to her garden and hunting for new furniture gems to restore.

Favorite thing about Fireclay: The level of customization, endless color and shape combinations will stoke the creative fire in just about anyone!

Commercial Sales - DC | MD | VA

Susan Schemm

Susan Schemm has over 17 years of experience in the design industry, as well as a degree in Interior Design from The Art Institute. From working in the MD/DC and VA area as a designer, teacher and A&D sales rep- she is very familiar with local, national and global market trends. She is passionate about art, architecture, and a good book. When she is not working, Susan can be found Ubering her four boys to and from lacrosse games, and journaling.