Not Your Average Titan Of Industry

TTI unexpectedly lost its founder, guiding light and CEO a few days ago and all of us at the company he built are struggling to get our heads around that. A colleague and I were sharing memories of Paul when he said, "Paul wasn't your average titan of industry." This characterization really struck me as perhaps the perfect one sentence summary of this remarkable man.

I know this sounds a little strange, but I believe this to actually be a high compliment. It speaks to what a down-to-earth, humble and unassuming guy he was. Upon meeting him for the first time you would likely walk away with no idea that he was running one of the biggest distributors in the electronic components industry. Or that it was a business that he had started from scratch with next to no working capital. A business with a global footprint and a business that just this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. These are rare accomplishments and I have no idea how he could have resisted the urge to work them into the conversation. But resist he did. Paul wasn't a flashy talker or flashy dresser, and by his own design, nothing about him screamed "Titan."

Business accomplishments and success weren't the essence of Paul's identify. He was a Fort Worth guy born and bred, fiercely loyal to his town, state, family, industry, friends and employees. While unassuming, he could be very intense and single minded when it came to the things about which he was passionate. He had very high expectations of all of us, but the highest of all he reserved for himself. This could make him a stubborn and tough boss, but you always knew that he was harder still on himself. How do you not respect the hell of that?!

The entire time I've known Paul he has always been the hardest working guy in the building. Surely one of his favorite things to do must have been coming to work every day because he rolled his sleeves up and did exactly that, even after he had sold his business to Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway in 2006. In fact, I think he may have worked even harder for Warren than he had for himself. As he got older, he did work on getting better about taking vacations, though more of his days off than not we would find him logged into the system looking at inventory and checking business activity. He was an incorrigible workaholic.

I also don't think the average titan would have had as much fun as Paul did making this kick-off video for our annual company Sales Leadership Conference a few years ago. The video is a spoof on the opening trailer for the TV show, the A-Team. The day we shot this will always be one of my fondest memories of him.

With the passing of Paul, I've been asked a lot about what I think that means for the future of TTI. My answer is short and to the point... TTI is going to be just fine. The company culture that Paul began building from his kitchen table 50 years ago is the bedrock upon which TTI is built and the company will continue to operate with the values and laser-like stakeholder focus (customers, suppliers, employees and owners with the first three taking precedent over the last one) that have made it a global leader in our industry. This is one of the many enduring legacies that Paul leaves behind. Things won't be the same without him, but you can rest assured that the team he leaves behind, with the support of Berkshire Hathaway - a one-of-a-kind owner in its own right - will continue to grow the business ahead of the market, be the most preferred electronics distributor in the business, and provide a home for hardworking, dedicated, knowledgeable and ethical people who believe in this company and Paul's business philosophy. As he often reminded us, the goal isn't to be the biggest, it is to be the best. Do that and the rest takes care of itself.

Paul Andrews was the best! May he rest in peace. "A" is for Andrews!!