Founders Story

Some people find inspiration in challenge. The founders of Improvement Direct thrived on such inspiration.

In 2000 as the words “dot-com” had investors running from start ups, Christian Friedland and his friend David Boctor were developing their Master’s Project in Computer Science at California State University Chico. Despite the market’s opposition to more new online business, Christian knew that one could be built and succeed where other businesses had already failed.

Working at a local plumbing distributor, Christian was determined to offer what local hardware stores and big-boxes’ lacked: access to a much greater selection of fixtures and faucets in an online format easily configured and browsed from home. With that in mind, FaucetDirect.com was launched as the online source for plumbing products. In the early days, the company was operated out of Christian’s college apartment, with the early funding provided by Dave.  Christian and Dave then partnered with Craig Stilwell and with his knowledge of online marketing revenue really began to pick up.

Much has changed in the years since the early days. More than 12 new websites have been launched setting new standards in the home improvement industry. The company was renamed Improvement Direct to reflect the diverse breadth of product offered. Improvement Direct has grown from a “school project” for its founders to an online leader in the categories of plumbing, lighting, door hardware, and ventilation with more than 200 employees and the challenge of finding a location large enough to house the rapidly growing operation.