Merit Brass Co. Inducted into the 2025 PVF Ring of Honor

Merit Brass Co., an MCAA member and a family-owned manufacturer of pipe nipples and master distributor of related pipe, valves, flanges and fittings, has been named the 2025 inductee into the prestigious PVF Ring of Honor. The announcement is featured in the December issue of Supply House Times magazine. 

Established to celebrate PVF manufacturers and master distributors that demonstrate recent marketplace success through progressive and cutting-edge best practices, the PVF Ring of Honor recognizes organizations that combine operational excellence with forward-thinking innovation while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and customer partnership. 

For nearly nine decades, Merit Brass has exemplified these qualities. Founded in 1937 by Louis Schlessinger and now led by third-generation co-CEOs Marc Schlessinger and Alan Lipp, the company has evolved from a Cleveland-based manufacturer of brass pipe nipples into one of North America’s leading manufacturers and master distributors of stainless steel, brass, copper, and carbon steel PVF products. 

“Being selected for the PVF Ring of Honor is a tremendous honor that belongs to every associate, past and present, who has lived our values every day,” said Alan Lipp, CEO of Merit Brass. “My grandfather built this company on the simple belief that people come before profit. Nearly 90 years later, that foundation—combined with relentless modernization and an unwavering commitment to our wholesale partners—continues to define who we are.” 

Key achievements highlighted in the Supply House Times feature include: 

• A multi-year enterprise-wide lean transformation that has driven on-time shipping tonearly 99%, manufacturing fill rates to 98%, and dramatically improved throughputand order-processing speed.

• Strategic expansion into press technology (carbon, copper, & stainless) known asMeritPressTM and copper tubing, positioning Merit Brass as a complete portfolioprovider amid shifting contractor preferences and labor dynamics.

• Sustained investment in global supply-chain expertise and long-term supplierpartnerships that provide wholesalers with clarity and stability in an era of tariffs,freight volatility, and geopolitical complexity.

• Preservation of an extraordinary family-oriented culture that boasts associates with 30-, 40-, and even 45-year tenures working alongside new talent.

“Merit Brass has never chased trends for the sake of change,” added Darren Hilliard, President of Merit Brass. “Every investment, every process improvement, every new product line has been guided by one question: Does this help our wholesale customers win in their markets? The results speak for themselves, but the real reward is the trust and partnership we’ve earned across generations of distributors.” 

Read the full profile in Supply House Times to learn more about how family values, operational excellence, and global vision have guided the company for nearly nine decades.