On July 31, 2009, Fritz Industries’ founder Charles Frederick “Fritz” Weisend passed away peacefully in his sleep following a brief illness. He was 83.

Born March 14, 1926 in Bellaire, Ohio, Fritz served his country during World War II in the Army Air Corp, finishing his service in the Panama Canal.

He started Fritz Chemical Company in Mesquite, TX, in 1956 and incorporated in 1959. Since 1993, the company has been known as Fritz Industries, Inc.

In 1962, Fritz introduced his first flooring product, Fritztile, an terrazzo tile of epoxy resin binder and genuine marble aggregates. This product evolved into a modified polyester resin binder and became the first flexible terrazzo tile.

In 1993, Fritz introduced the first commercial floor patch and self-leveling underlayments made of fly ash. “Fritz was an innovator, entrepreneur and visionary not only in the flooring industry but the other divisions of Fritz Industries,” the company noted.

He has served as president on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Society or Crippled Children and Adults (an affiliate local agency of the National Easter Seals Society for Crippled Children and Adults).

His loved ones, friends, and generations of employees say Fritz will be missed. “He wasn’t just responsible for giving us a place to work; he was responsible for providing miracles and a family atmosphere that made it an honor to come to work each and every day.”