Our Houston Heritage
Houston: a city of industry, innovation, forward thinkers and families. Over the last century, the Deterings have seen Houston grow up and out. And we've grown with Houston.
In 1871 Herman Eberhardt (H.E.) Detering immigrated to the United States from Germany. He worked as a security guard for a grocery store as his first job in the new world.
Eventually H.E. Detering opened a general store on Washington Avenue at the end of the trolly line. The Detering family has lived and worked on this site since the 1880's. He and his wife Lina raised five children above the general store: Alma, Elsa, Herman Jr, Carl and Lenora. The Detering Company as we know it today now sits on this site.
While the dates and exact location are somewhat unknown, H.E. Detering also opened a concrete tile company and broom factory in this area.
In 1926, Carl Detering opened The Detering Company. He was joined shortly thereafter by his brother Herman. Mr. Carl, as his employees knew him, started the company as a brick company. The company would purchase the ballasts out of ships at the Port of Houston. D'Hanis Brick and Tile was the company's first supplier and continues as a supplier today. In 1926, The Port of Houston ranked 11th in the nation in tonnage and began seeking foreign markets as sources of supply.
From 1924-1929 building permits in Houston climbed from $22,594,564 to more than $40,000,000.
After World War II, Houston had an estimated shortage of almost 40,000 homes. The greatest building and construction era in the city's history was underway.
Today, The Detering Company is owned and run by Carl Detering, Jr. Throughout our many years serving Houston, The Detering Company has remained a family-owned and operated business, which allows for responsive management that can expeditiously make decisions on site.
We are proud to say that we are a supplier with a solid financial foundation. For more than eight decades, The Detering Company has remained dedicated to sound business practices and to only making promises that we can keep. We continue to uphold a reputation for getting our customers' orders correct and delivered on schedule.
The mission of The Detering Company is to get it right and on time, every time. Our goal is to become your best supplier.
