About Us

Top Tier Patio Gear

Top Tier Patio Gear is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Cepheid Group LLC, founded in May 2026 by John Cephas, shortly after he retired from a 38 year career that began, in the Army, upon graduation from West Point in May of 1987. John's first assignments were as a Tank Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, In California. Next stop was Korea, then Fort Knox, then Kuwait. He then served two years supporting Army National Guard units in Georgia, the Carolinas, Colorado, and Idaho, before transitioning out of the Army, as it was significantly 'downsized' in 1998. He completed an MBA in 2000, while working as a Production Supervisor and Quality Engineer at a DeWalt power tool factory. He later served as a Senior Quality Engineer at a Timken Automotive Bearing factory, and as Quality Manager and Director of Quality Assurance at Beretta USA, before joining the Federal Aviation Administration's Flight Standards Service, working in the International Program Division, as a Management and Program Analyst, focused on planning and reporting, quality systems management, process improvement, and supervising a team of analysts.

" I moved a lot as the child of a career Army officer and a former Army Nurse, and sometimes that meant moving more than once in the same year, making it difficult to sink roots in any one place. With many of my parents' siblings also serving in the armed forces, there were lots of gatherings on many patios, as members of my extended family criss-crossed the country, stopping by to visit whoever was along the route between points A and B.

Top Tier Patio Gear was inspired by the childhood memories of an old soldier's family gatherings, that made "home" literally wherever we happened to be, while also sharing good food and and good times with those who matter most.

Our business model is based on working with suppliers and fulfillment partners that provide the products we list in our store. Top Tier Patio Gears selects products for our catalog based on the product information, specifications, availability, and fulfillment terms provided by our suppliers. We sell patio and outdoor products through our website to customers located in the United States. We do NOT currently ship to Alaska or Hawaii.

How We Fulfill Orders

Top Tier Patio Gear does not operate as a traditional walk-in retail store or maintain any listed products at our Herndon business address.

When an order is placed on our website, we process the customer's order information and coordinate fulfillment with the supplier responsible for that product. The supplier prepares the purchased item for shipment, and ships it directly to the customer's shipping address.

This means the supplier may be the party physically packing and shipping the product, while Top Tier Patio Gear manages the online sale, order coordination, customer communication, and support.

Our Product Listings

Before products are made available on our website, we review the product information supplied to us, including:

Product name and description

Product specifications and features

Available options and variations

Product pricing

Product images

Availability and fulfillment information:

We update product listings when information provided by our suppliers changes.

Orders and Customer Support

After an order is submitted, we review the order and provide the necessary information to the supplier or fulfillment partner. Customers receive order and shipping updates when available.

If there is a question about a product, order, delivery, return, or refund, customers can contact Top Tier Patio Gear directly. We handle customer communication and coordinate with the applicable supplier when an order-related issue requires supplier assistance.