Family-Owned: John Welte, left, is the great grandson of Summit Brick Company’s founder Joseph Welte. Summit Brick has been family owned for three generations. Libby Passiales has five years of experience in the brick industry and enjoys working on the residential side of the business.

Summit Brick Company is one of the oldest companies to ever join the Greater Glendale Chamber of Commerce, with its roots dating back to 1902. Summit Brick is a family-owned business that enjoys keeping the money within the state of Colorado. “One of the big things that we try to focus on since we are a family-owned business is to keep the money in the community,” said John Welte, co-owner and V.P. of Marketing for Summit Brick Company. “All the money customers spend with us stays in Colorado. And we can support the communities that we are around. And that’s why we encourage people to go out and be members of the chamber.”

Summit Brick comes by way of the Glendale Girls Club, a division of the Glendale Chamber. “I didn’t know what to expect when joining the Glendale Girls Club but it’s been an awesome networking platform,” said Libby Passiales, Territory Manager. “I’ve met a lot of older women that are really successful and have a lot going for them. It has been cool to meet diverse women and learn what they do.”

Summit Brick Company was founded by Welte’s great-grandfather Joseph Welte. Gold Fever had struck Joseph Welte in the year of 1888. Born in 1866 in Iowa, he had grown up working on farms and at a brickyard before deciding to set out west in search for his gold, bringing with him his earnings from his previous jobs.

With mining claims in Cripple Creek, Colo., and Alaska along the Yukon River, he was more than determined to find his riches. After coming to the realization that neither area was going to provide his fortune for him, he moved on to Phoenix, Arizona, where he began to recoup his losses from his adventures by managing a brick plant. His distaste for extremes in weather drove him back to the milder climate of Pueblo, Colo., and in 1902, he founded his own company, Summit Brick & Tile Co.

Founder: Summit Brick Company was founded by Joseph Welte in 1902.

Summit Brick Company is a masonry manufacturer and distributor and operates out of three locations: Summit plant and showroom; Lakewood plant; and a sales and showroom office which opened in 2005 in Lakewood, that serves the commercial, architectural and residential markets.

Summit Brick has a long history in masonry and specializes in custom blends, sizes, colors and textures. In fact, there are 126 colors to pick from. “We’re lucky with the rocky mountain clays that we have here,” said Welte. “We have 12 different clay mines that we pull clays from and we add colors to them.”

Black Diamond: A sample of the brick manufactured by Summit Brick Company used at the corner of 35th and Tejon Street in the LoHi neighborhood, Tejon Heights Apartments.

With a commitment to customer service, Summit Brick looks to offer a top quality masonry product that is sustainable and environmentally friendly. “We’re a smaller company and we can help the homeowners out with a match,” said Welte. “We have brick that we’ve made for 100 years that we might still have and are producing today.”

Now, with over 100 employees and 130 distributors of their brick, Summit Brick is well positioned in the booming housing market, all while staying true to their great customer service they pride themselves on. “Here, we actually try to satisfy the customer and create something custom for them,” said Passiales.

Summit Brick is located in Lakewood at 7576 West 5th Ave. For more information visit www.summitbrick.com or call 303-592-7080.