Remembering Our Visionary Founder
Chuck Brewer, Jr.
“Began plastics career in 1958 at CAB Tool Company in Bell Gardens as a machinist building die cast molds—working for his Dad. At night, he designed and built molds for a dental sterilization tray- outsourcing his molding requirements and employing the neighborhood kids to assemble the final product. In 1965 the C. Brewer Company was formed when he designed and built his own EDM machine, becoming Orange Counties first EDM Job Shop. Chuck’s EDM machine was so precise, Ingersoll Cutting Tools copied and introduced this EDM machine to the marketplace. In 1969 Chuck made the decision to start his own molding operation with three used Arburg All Rounders.
In 1972, when a plastics shortage started, a consortium of local molders was established to discuss their individual needs and to create buying power from plastics suppliers, distributors, and brokers. That consortium and was jokingly called the “The Orange County Drinkers Club” and included other plastics pioneers like: Bud Williams, Bud-Wil; Steve Kakuk, Warren Rosendale, and Ernie Rodriguez all from KRK; The Noggle’s, and Don Holm, Plastic Molded Products.
In the 1980’s Chuck was very active in SPI as the Chairman of the Moldmakers Division. He became the plastics industries voice in Washington DC when the FDA was making new demands on medical molders. In that same decade, he was recognized by the SPI as their “Man of the Year”.
Because of Chuck’s experience with medical products, such as dental trays, he began to see the financial benefit of designing, developing, and molding his own medical products, so in 1973 Brevet was established as a separate company from C. Brewer Company. Due to Brevet’s desire to be vertically integrated, Chuck purchased the KRK ‘s facility and moved the entire operation to the Irvine location in 1995.
Chuck has been a cornerstone of our plastics industry here in Southern California. During his career he founded three separate companies: C. Brewer Company, Brevet, and Brewer Irvine—all with the same core values of hard work, honesty, keeping his promises to his vendors, customers, and employees. In 2016 the Western Plastics Pioneers inducted Chuck Brewer, Jr. into the Hall of Fame.”
– website excerpt