When Graybar employees purchased the company from Western Electric in 1929, it made history as one of the first large, employee-owned corporations in the U.S. In fact, it was front-page news when Western Electric’s President, Edgar Bloom, made the announcement on Nov. 5, 1928.

The “noble experiment” in employee ownership has succeeded splendidly. To this day, we remain true to the principles established 90 years ago, and we honor our employee ownership heritage by working together to make our company stronger for generations to come.

As an employee-owned company, Graybar makes decisions with a long-term view in mind. Whether serving our customers, developing innovative solutions or giving back to our communities, Graybar helps others achieve their potential while striving to achieve our own. And it shows through our many achievements this year and throughout history.

Here are a few recent recognitions:

  • Graybar was recognized as the most respected national distributor in tED magazine’s third quarter Baird Electrical survey. Respondents to the Baird survey praised Graybar for its consistency over the years, excellent service and training as well as its focused management, disciplined capital allocation and impressive growth through all market conditions. The comments also highlighted Graybar’s professionalism and solid business practices.
  • Graybar earned the 2019 Better Business Bureau (BBB) TORCH Award  for BBB Serving Eastern & Southwest Missouri & Southern Illinois. The TORCH Awards recognize businesses and charities exemplifying the highest standard of ethics in their treatment of customers, employees and suppliers. 
  • Graybar won the Vertex Innovation Award  for our unique use of tax technology to drive business value.

Earning the respect of these three organizations is a true testament to the hard work, dedication and character of Graybar’s people, and it’s a very special way to honor our 150th anniversary and 90 years of employee ownership.