Faux Masters


Who Are We?
With a partnership spanning more than thirty-two years, Mike and Bob Hoppe exude the perfect balance for a successful business venture. As teenagers, Mike and Bob worked part time for their fathers, second generation residential painters Howard and Bill Hoppe. In 1981, the cousins began working full-time which in turn originated Hoppe Brothers & Sons, Inc. This partnership between the four grew into a well known, established company. With great field supervision and key personnel, Hoppe Brothers & Sons has been an enjoyable and successful partnership. In 1997, Mike and Bob tested their success and began exploring a second partnership with the founding of Faux Masters Studio. Here they would begin using a state-of-the-art product line, Faux Effects. Along with the introduction of Faux Effects, Faux Masters Studio also began providing instruction containing the techniques that the family business, Hoppe Brothers & Sons, has done for generations. Mike and Bob's partnership with their fathers came to a close after twenty-three years in 2003, when the time came for Howard and Bill Hoppe to retire from the contracting business they had founded. With the promotion of their long time field manager, Frank Buerosotro, and his dedication of more than twenty years to the company, the legacy of Hoppe Brothers & Sons moves forward as they continue to offer changing and evolving Decorative Finishes throughout the Greater Los Angeles and Orange County Metropolitan area. With the addition of the next generation and a strong work-force in place, Mike and Bob hope to continue to share their experience and joys of their partnership with the Faux Masters faithful clientele. They have nothing but optimism for their students and customers. This emerging success is evident in their continual desire for what is next! Together, cousins Mike and Bob bring over fifty years of industry experience to their Faux Effects distributorship and training studio. With the success of two companies, and three locations Mike and Bob Hoppe employ more than fifty-five talented finishers, painters, and detailed personnel.
The Operations Director As Director of Operations for both Faux Masters Studio and Hoppe Brothers & Sons as well as primary Estimator for Hoppe Brothers & Sons, Bob uses his knowledge to educate students on customer relations, business, and estimating. Bob served on the board for the local chapter of PDCA for over twelve years. With the knowledge gained through his many educational pursuits and relationships created in PDCA, Bob has developed a passion for the industry and its continued growth. Bob is commited to sharing his business principles to elevate the professionalism of Faux Master's customers.
The Creative Director Mike's passion for finishes and his innovative ideas keep Faux Masters Studio’s curriculum on the cutting-edge. Mike specializes in exotic textures, furniture and cabinetry finishes. With an unparallel understanding of decorative painting and product chemistry, Mike has excelled in the industry and continues to break the barrier for what is known as “faux”. With Mike's excitment for "what's next" there will always be something exciting and beautiful in our curriculum.
Studio Director Brenda McPeek brings over thirty years of decorative painting and teaching and ten years of faux finishing experience to Faux Masters Studio. She holds a Certified Decorative Artist designation and considers herself a teaching artist. Prior to joining the staff a few years ago, Brenda traveled and taught classes all over the U.S. and Canada. As a lifetime resident of the Kansas City area, she honed her craft working as a full-time faux finisher, where she also maintained a retail store that included teaching seminars on decorative painting. Her publications include two instructional books, as well as a line of instructional painting brochures. She has had a number of articles appear in industry magazines, including Country Accents, Country Decorating, Better Homes & Garden Weekend Projects, and Good House Keeping. In her spare time, Brenda likes to tap dance and travels with a competitive dance group. She has one son and currently resides in Overland Park, Kansas.
Studio Assistant & Creative Support Stephanie Bartlow has a unique background in the creative arts. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at C.S.U. Fullerton and spent a semester studying abroad in Paris, France. Her Fine Art work has won Honorable Mention, and a few art pieces are in private collection. Some of her prototype sculpting work in the commercial market can still be noticed. Stephanie brings over fifteen years of fine and commercial art knowledge and experience to Faux Masters Studio. Born and raised in Southern California, she enjoys blissful moments with her funky cat, and long, in depth conversations with her husband and small, but eclectic, group of friends. Pilates helps keep her feeling young. Stephanie currently resides in Buena Park, California.
Customer Service & Shipping... Juan Trejo began his Faux Masters career working for Hoppe Brothers in 1996. He spent the following two years training with the Hoppe Brothers staff and working on residential projects. In 1998, he made the transition to Faux Masters Studio and now runs our customer service and order desk. He manages four full-time employees and exhibits great customer service skills. He also assists past students with technical support and product knowledge. His enthusiasm for the industry keeps him motivated to stay informed with the industry’s latest innovations, which allows him to provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information. In his spare time, Juan enjoys playing soccer and spending time with his family. He has two daughters fourteen and seven and currently resides in Riverside, California. Ordering Assistance & Customer Service... Greg Ruiz comes to Faux Masters with a background in the printing industry. During these twenty plus years, Greg worked in the art department providing customer service to a large client database. Greg joined Faux Masters in late 2004 where he uses his skills in customer service to assist in customer ordering, shipping needs, and client insight. Greg enjoys spending time with his wife and four kids and is a huge basketball fan. Greg is a resident of La Habra, California.
Sales & Marketing With the growth the decorative painting industry has seen the past couple of years, Faux Masters has been adding to our Business Development & Marketing Department. We now maintain a team consisting of three creative individuals that are working diligently to create campaigns to further service and support our customer base. Our team includes, Melissa Fryxell, Mike’s youngest daughter, who has been with Faux Masters for nearly six years. Melissa, who has a passion for marketing and sales, works closely with our studio staff on curriculum offerings - Her focus is on our students. Melissa wants to ensure that each student understands course offerings and enrolls in the class best suited for their needs. In addition, Melissa continues to work on customer relations and developing marketing opportunities for Faux Masters Studio. Tyler Hoppe, Bob’s youngest son, started working for Faux Masters in 2001 while on school breaks and summers. After graduating from high school, he decided to enroll at Cal State Fullerton, where he currently majors in Computer Science. Tyler uses his talent as a technology “guru” to manage our website and on line store. His understanding of software and ability to self teach has proven to be an asset to us. Our newest addition, Wes Marsala, is currently attending college where he studies Photojournalism and Anthropology. With his experience in web development, graphic design and photography, Wes has taken Faux Masters Studio to the next level with the creation of The Creative Loop and the designs of many print and visual media. As we enter into 2008, Faux Masters will continue its dedication to our communication to our customers.