WESCO International, Inc. is an American publicly traded Fortune 500

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

for WESCO Distribution, a multinational electrical distribution and services company based in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. WESCO International, Inc. is a provider of electrical, industrial, communications, maintenance, repair and operating (MRO), and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) products, as well as construction materials and advanced supply chain management/logistic services. In 2019, its total revenue was approximately $17 billion. The company employs 18,000 employees and 30,000 suppliers to serve more than 150,000 active customers worldwide. WESCO customers include commercial and industrial businesses, contractors, government agencies, institutions, telecommunications providers, and utilities. WESCO operates 10 fully automated distribution centers and 500 branches in North American and international markets.

History and acquisitions

WESCO Distribution was formed in 1922 as a subsidiary of the

Westinghouse Electric Corporation The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an American manufacturing company founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse. It was originally named "Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company" and was renamed "Westinghouse Electric Corporation" in ...

, a company also based in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. It served as the Westinghouse subsidiary charged with selling and distributing company components in the electrical and industrial industries. WESCO maintained close ties to its parent. In 1994, the private equity firm

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is an American private equity company. It is one of the oldest private equity investment firms in the world. Founded in 1978, CD&R has managed the investment of more than $30 billion in approximately 90 businesses, repre ...

(CD&R) purchased Westinghouse Electrical Supply Company and created WESCO Distribution Inc. In June 1998, CD&R sold WESCO to The Cypress Group bfor

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

1.1 billion, which formed WESCO International Inc., the current owner of WESCO Distribution. In the same year, WESCO acquired the Bruckner Supply Company Inc., a provider of integrated supply management solutions and MRO products to Fortune 500 customers. On May 12, 1999, WESCO held its

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investme ...

on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...

, selling 9.72 million shares for $18 per share and raising a total of $175 million. In 2005, WESCO acquired the Carlton-Bates Company, a provider of original equipment products and supply solutions to industrial customers. In the same year,

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

magazine named WESCO as one of their 400 Best Big Companies, an honor which was received again in 2006, 2007, and 2009. In 2006, WESCO acquired the Communication Supply Corporation, a national distributor of data communications products for enterprise and data center customers. In 2008, the company was recognized for "environmentally sustainable business practices" through an Environmental Stewardship Award from Veolia ES Technical Solutions. In November 2010 the company acquired TVC Communications. In 2010, WESCO acquired Calgary,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

based Brews Supply Ltd. In 2012, WESCO acquired EECOL Electric Corp. In June 2012, the company acquired Conney Safety Products, LLC. In 2014, WESCO acquired Hazmasters Inc. In 2015, WESCO acquired Hill Country Electric Supply, Aelux, and Needham Electric Supply. In 2016, WESCO acquired Atlanta Electrical Distributors, LLC. Soon after, WESCO acquired OSRAM's Sylvania Lighting Solutions (SLS), now known as WESCO Energy Solutions. On January 13, 2020, WESCO agreed to acquire Anixter. On September 7, 2022, WESCO agreed to acquire

Rahi Systems Rahi may refer to: Given name * Rahi (goddess), a regional form of Hindu goddess Radha * Rahi Chakraborty, a singer and songwriter from India * Rahi Masoom Raza, an Indian writer * Rahi Mo'ayyeri, an Iranian poet and musician * Rahi Rezvani, a ...

Executive officers

* John J. Engel – chairman, President & CEO * David S. Schulz – Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer * Diane E. Lazzaris – Executive Vice President & General Counsel * Christine A. Wolf – Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer * Theodore A. Dosch – Executive Vice President, Strategy & Chief Transformation Officer * Nelson J. Squires III – Executive Vice President & General Manager, Electrical & Electronic Solutions * William Clayton Geary II – Executive Vice President & General Manager, Communications & Security Solutions * James Cameron – Executive Vice President & General Manager, Utility & Broadband Solutions * Hemant Porwal – Executive Vice President, Supply Chain & Operations * Roy W. Haley – Former Chairman, President & CEO 05/1998 - 09/2009; Former CEO 02/1994 - 05/1998 * Akash Khurana - CDIO

Board of directors

* John J. Engel – chairman, President & CEO of WESCO International * Matthew J. Espe – Operating Partner of

Advent International Advent International is a global private equity firm focused on buyouts of companies in Western and Central Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on international buyouts, growth and strategic restructuring in five core ...

* Bobby J. Griffin – Former President, International Operations of Ryder System, Inc. * John K. Morgan – Former Chairman, President & CEO of Zep, Inc. * Steven A. Raymund – Former Chairman & CEO of Tech Data Corporation * James L. Singleton – Chairman & CEO of Cürex Group Holdings, LLC. * Easwaran Sundaram – Executive VP and Chief Digital & Technology Officer of

JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation (stylized as jetBlue) is a major American low cost airline, and the seventh largest airline in North America by passengers carried. The airline is headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York C ...

Airways Corporation * Lynn M. Utter – Principal and Chief Talent Officer, Atlas Holdings * Laura K. Thompson – Former Executive Vice President of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Board Members' terms expire in May 2020.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Conglomerate companies of the United States Companies based in Pittsburgh American companies established in 1922 1922 establishments in Pennsylvania Conglomerate companies established in 1922 Business services companies established in 1922 Distribution companies of the United States 1994 mergers and acquisitions 1999 initial public offerings