Wired for Success

Unlike so many companies whose lights dimmed during the dark days following the dotcom crash, Graybar Electric, the $5 billion St. Louis-based distributor of electric and networking products, remained resilient and profitable, even after business from its two largest telecommunications customers switched off. This organizational resilience stems from a commitment to rigorous financial, risk, and project management -- qualities that also define Beatty D'Alessandro's ascent to the CFO seat. Steve Player talks to D'Alessandro about his role in fortifying Graybar's business agility and how he and the rest of the workforce "connect the dots" between the company's success and personal success.

Steve Player: When we first met, the Internet was really taking off and Graybar Electric was poised to exploit that wave. This changed, of course, and your response to that change was highly unique. Please start off by giving our readers an understanding of Graybar …

Beatty D'Alessandro: We're a Fortune 500 company that specializes in supply chain management services as a leading North American distributor of high-quality components, equipment, and materials for the electrical and telecommunications industries. We have about 8,000 employees working through more than 250 distribution centers throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

We're one of North America's largest employee-owned companies, with 6,000 shareholders consisting of current employees and retirees. Due to our large number of shareholders, we are considered a public company by the SEC and must file financial statements and comply with other SEC requirements. As a non-exchange-traded company, we are classified as a non-accelerated filer, which allowed us extra time to meet the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley's Section 404. We've been SOX Section 302 compliant since that was required in 2003.

Graybar was established in 1926. Our customer base consists of electrical contractors, data system installation contractors, commercial establishments, industrial facilities, and governmental, medical, and educational institutions. Graybar has appeared on Fortune's "Most Admired Companies" list for each of the past six years, and we were named the #1 Most Admired Company in Fortune's diversified-industry category last year