Most people who work with Etna Supply know us for what we do every day: getting the right product to the right job site on time, without the runaround. But fewer people know the full story of how we got here, or about the luxury kitchen and bath showroom brand we built along the way.
That story starts nearly a century ago, and it's worth telling.
Long before Etna Supply existed, there was a man named Dave Potgeter and a company called "Warm Friend." In 1929 (the year the stock market collapsed and the Great Depression began), Dave purchased a coal, coke, and wood supply company in West Michigan.
The work was anything but glamorous. Family stories are still shared about Dave hauling a 300-pound cast-iron tub of coal on his back, day after day, serving homes and businesses across the region. It was demanding, essential work — the kind that builds a culture of reliability and grit from the ground up. Those traits never left the company.
Etna's Predecessor, Warm Friend
By the 1960s, America was changing fast. Returning veterans wanted modern homes with modern amenities, like updated plumbing, gas furnaces, and the comforts that postwar prosperity had made newly attainable. Dave's sons, Roger and Larry Potgeter, recognized the need.
Etna's founders, Roger and Larry Potgeter
The name of the new company became something of a family legend. One morning at the breakfast table, Roger and Larry overheard a National Geographic reporter announce that Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, on the island of Sicily, had just erupted. They looked at each other. That name had the energy they were looking for: powerful, unstoppable, rooted in something grand. They chose it on the spot.
They diversified the family business into master plumbing and furnace sales, and in 1965, Etna Supply Co. was born.
Mount Etna, located on the east coast of the Italian island of Sicily.
Etna Supply grew steadily into a trusted regional distributor across Michigan. By the 1990s, leadership saw an opportunity: contractors and builders needed a place where clients could actually see and touch the products they were investing in.
The answer was the Etna Supply Contractor's Showroom — a functional, trade-focused space, featuring American Standard products front and center. It wasn't luxurious. It was built for builders.
But it planted a seed. Watching clients respond to the showroom's tactile, hands-on nature changed the internal conversation. What if the experience could be elevated? What if the showroom became a destination, not just a service counter?
Etna Supply’s 1st Showroom (1990s), later renamed "Infusion" in 2007.
That question led directly to a rebrand. In 2007, the showroom division became Infusion Kitchen and Bath Showrooms — a separate brand designed to move decisively away from the trade-counter model and toward a boutique-style design destination.
The concept was ambitious from day one. Infusion's philosophy centered on removing decision fatigue for homeowners navigating thousands of fixture and finish options. Instead of sending clients home with a catalog and a shrug, Infusion's consultants guide and curate, educating clients, personalizing the process, and turning what can be an overwhelming experience into an inspired one.
What made the model viable from the start was the combination behind it: boutique care backed by the serious purchasing power of Etna Supply's deep relationships with manufacturers. Infusion could offer the warmth of a family-run operation with the inventory depth and pricing strength of a much larger enterprise.
Etna's 1st Showroom (1990s), later renamed "Infusion" in 2007.
From that first rebranded showroom, Infusion built what is now a statewide network. By 2022, the company had established six premier locations across Michigan, including Wixom, Kalamazoo, Holland, Grand Ledge, Traverse City, and Grand Rapids.
Etna Supply's reach during those same years extended into some of Michigan's most iconic construction projects. The company's legacy includes supplying plumbing infrastructure for landmark sites like Tiger Stadium (now Comerica Park) — a reminder that behind every great building is a supply chain most people never think about. Etna Supply has been that supply chain for decades.
Etna Supply helping with the Tigers Stadium
In 2025 and into 2026, Infusion opened its seventh location in Troy, inside the prestigious Michigan Design Center, where Metro Detroit's top interior designers, architects, and high-end contractors come to source for their most discerning clients. It marks a decisive push into the luxury market, putting the Infusion brand in front of an audience that expects nothing less than exceptional.
Infusion Showroom in Troy, MI
Here's why this matters to Etna Supply's core customers: if you work in the trade and your residential clients need a premium showroom experience, Infusion is your resource.
Infusion Kitchen and Bath Showroom carries Kohler, Kallista, Brizo, Graff, and other wellness-focused premium brands. Their consultants guide homeowners through live product demonstrations so clients can see how a faucet flows or how a digital steam shower operates before committing. And yes, complimentary champagne has been known to make an appearance. It's the high end of the market, handled the right way.
Through all of it — the growth, the new locations, the evolution from trade counter to luxury showroom — the company still operates with the values of a family business. The personal relationships, the long-tenured staff who know their clients by name, and the willingness to take extra time with someone who doesn't know where to start. That's not a marketing claim. It's the inheritance of nearly a century of doing business the right way.
Infusion Showroom display
Visit the Infusion website to explore their seven Michigan locations and see what's possible for your clients' next project.