Taking Technology To Market For 50 Years -- Happy 50th anniversary! Documenting the breadth and span of our corporate history, this book celebrates a proud heritage started by one family that has touched all parts of the modern age of technology. We hope you enjoy reading this book as much as we enjoyed putting it together for you.

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It was the early 1920s. With World War I a memory, New York City's docks were awash in surplus military and ship-to-shore radio parts. From a small store in Manhattan, Charles Avnet sold about $85,000 in components his first year in business.

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Lester Avnet, who had been working with his father since he was 12, could recognize a good business opportunity when he saw it. He found his opportunity while working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, quite literally, scattered at his feet in the form of surplus electronic equipment.

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Avnet commenced the decade not only with an expanded portfolio of semiconductors and other components, but with the first of many unconventional, international acquisitions. In 1968, Avnet entered the big leagues, joining the Fortune 500 at No. 467.

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Since its incorporation in 1955 Avnet had the golden touch, conquering almost every market it chose to enter, from its traditional connector business to newer entries in the consumer, automotive, electronic component, and wire and cable markets.

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In 1990, Avnet completed an ambitious centralization and automation plan and set the stage for a spate of acquisitions that would redefine the global technology distribution industry. Avnet has helped the computer industry grow and prosper through many significant relationships.

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While Avnet may not control industry dynamics, its supply chain analysts do the next best thing. By aggregating forecasts from more than 100,000 customers across multiple industries the company helps its partners reduce the impact business upturns and downturns have on the supply chain.

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Historical advertisements, memorabilia and more are spread across the pages of this chapter ending with the closing statement by our Chairman and CEO Roy Vallee.

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(Due to size we have broken this area up into two files to help with downloading.)