Today marks the 60th anniversary of Mouser Electronics, a distributor of electronic and semiconductor components. Mouser has 4,000 employees with 28 facilities around the world. It’s also a top-10 global distributor and multi-billion-dollar corporation.
It all started in 1964 when Jerry Mouser, a high school physics teacher, began selling electronic equipment and parts to students in El Cajon, California. At the time, the company was named Western Components.
In 1973, Western Components officially changed its name to Mouser Electronics. Glenn Smith joined the company of 12 employees as a part-time warehouse worker, launching his career in electronics distribution. In 1983, Mouser opened a warehouse in Mansfield, Texas, using the DEW International Airport in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Three years later, its corporate headquarters moved to this area, helping with its distribution growth and capability.
TTI then acquired Mouser in 2000, and four years later, Smith took on the role of President/CEO of the company. After three years had passed, Berkshire Hathaway acquired both Mouser and TTI. According to its website, Mouser introduced nearly 70,000 new products last year and holds onto one million unique parts for various projects.
Mouser’s Mansfield central hub serves as the global headquarters and distribution center. The company won awards for its industry, innovation, community, leadership, and marketing campaign. In 2012, it won the Employer of Excellence Award for boosting the economy in North Texas. Smith was recognized as the Top Public Company CEO by the Forth Word Business Press in 2019. Just two years ago, Mouser won over 30 awards for distribution.
Mouser Electronics holds a place in my heart as the first electronics distributor I bought parts from back in college and before. I liked them so much that I used the company’s catalog as the source for the parts in my book, Essential 555 IC: Design, Configure, and Create Clever Circuits. Sixty years, it’s nice they are still around—in a world that’s changing so fast.