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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 two 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 the students. Melissa wants to ensure that each student understands course offerings and enrolls in the class best suited for their individual 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 enrolled and began taking courses at C.S.U. Fullerton, where he currently majors in Business Administration. Tyler's passion for learning and his thirst for knowledge have assisted him well in his academic voyage. Tyler uses his talent as a technology “guru” to manage our website and on line store, the Faux Center. Tyler has also taken an interest in photography and developed our digital sample collection as well as introduced digital photography solutions to our customers. His understanding of software and his ability to self teach has proven to be an asset to us at Faux Masters Studio.
Originally from Ohio, Carol Weiler moved to Chicago where she lived for more than 25 years before moving to Arizona in 2000. While working in an administrative position at an architectural design firm, Carol became interested in the decorative finishes designers were adding to the plans in the custom homes her firm was building. In order to learn the world of design she began an apprenticeship with an interior designer turned faux finisher. In 1995, Carol established her own decorative painting company, La Palette. Their work led us to projects throughout the country including Florida, Kentucky, Arizona, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 1998, she made the switch from oil finishes to water based products after completing a FEI certified Designer Walls I course. With Carol’s extensive administrative, sales experience and her continued passion for all things related to decorative surface design it seemed like a natural fit for her to join the Faux Masters team. Carol currently resides in Scottsdale with her husband, Dave. She enjoys cooking, entertaining, traveling and bicycling.
Visit our online store and check out our schedule of hands-on faux painting and faux finishing workshops and classes, prices, course descriptions, and samples—even enroll online. 