Summit Brick formerly Phoenix Brick Yard

Summit Brick Company and Phoenix Brick Yard will be going through some branding clarification over the next few months in order to consolidate our branding and have a clear company brand. All future branding will be under Summit Brick Company. We are very proud of our 115-year history and look forward to the many years of success to come! Summit Pressed Brick & Tile History “Gold fever” struck Joseph Welte at age 22. Born in 1866 in Iowa, he had grown up working on farms and at a brickyard. With mining claims in Cripple Creek, CO and Alaska along the Yukon River, he was determined to find his riches. Finally realizing that neither area was going to provide his fortune, he moved on to Phoenix, AZ, where he began to recoup his losses by managing a brick plant. His preference for milder weather took him back to Pueblo, CO. In 1902, he founded his own company – Summit Pressed Brick & Tile Company. His son, Ralph Welte, dedicated over sixty years of his life to the company. During his years at Summit Pressed Brick & Tile Company, he continued to expand the business with improvements in both manufacturing and marketing. Summit Pressed Brick was one of the first brick companies to market their products outside the traditional local selling market. Ralph’s wife, Frances Welte, contributed to the company by being one of the nation’s premier collectors of brick. She started a brick museum at Summit Pressed Brick’s headquarters. His sons, Joe and Tom took over day to day operations of the company in the early 1980s and continue to help run the company today. Summit Brick Company is still a family owned and operated company, continuing now into the fourth generation.