Charles Avnet

Jewish family in 1888 in Russia.^[1][2][3]

ham radio parts and selling them to the public on Radio Row in the lower Manhattan^[1] capitalizing on the end of the World War I era ban on the trade of radio parts in 1918.^[2] He had $85,000 in sales in his first year.^[1] With the advent of commercial radio broadcasting and factory-made radios (which did not require parts), he adjusted his distribution pipeline and began selling parts to manufacturers and dealers.^[2] In 1929, he diversified by branching out into car antenna kits and automobile assembly kits. During the Great Depression, he shifted the focus from retailing to wholesaling.^[2] During World War II, sales to the private sector were banned, so Avnet shifted to government sales^[4] with an emphasis on connectors.^[2] After the war, the market was flooded with war surplus components and Avnet flourished incorporating as Avnet Electronics Supply Co Inc in 1955 reaching $1 million in sales.^[4] In 1959, the company went public as Avnet Electronics Corporation.^[4]