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Raybro Electric Supply Troy A. Brown, Sr. Founder



Raybro Electric Supplies, Inc. has a long history dating back to 1905 when Mr. Troy A. Brown, Sr. (a native Floridian born in Dade City) started as a shop boy for the Pierce Brothers Electric Co., later becoming an electrician’s helper and then a journeyman electrician. When the Pierce Company entered the wholesale electrical supply business in 1915, the name was changed to Pierce Electric Company. Mr. Brown remained with the company through the purchase by Westinghouse in 1926, and resigned as the General Sales Manager in 1927.

In September of 1927 Mr. Troy A. Brown, Sr. and Mr. Lee Rayley (who operated a small lighting fixture house) joined forces to organize a complete electrical supply wholesaler company. Taking the “RAY” from Mr. Rayley and the “BRO” from Mr. Brown, Raybro Electric Supplies, Inc. was born. The company started operations in just one-third of a small building on Twiggs Street in Tampa, FL with four employees. Eventually the company grew to take over the entire building.

Mr. Brown became Vice-President and General Manager in 1935; the same year the company, which was already well established in the Tampa area, started its expansion program beginning with an office and warehouse in Jacksonville. In 1939 the Miami branch was opened, followed by the St. Petersburg branch in 1940. At this time, Mr. Brown was elected President of the company. In 1950 the Orlando branch was opened, and by 1954 the headquarters in Tampa needed to move to the building on Ellamae Ave – which occupied a full city block.

The next few years were full of growth. 1957 saw the opening of the Lakeland branch; in 1958, the Ft. Myers branch was opened; and in 1959, the Clearwater branch opened its doors on Court St. In 1973 plans were in consideration to move to a new and larger building in Clearwater. Troy A. Brown, Jr. became President of the company in 1974, and under his leadership the Clearwater location had begun work on a new building in 1975. By 1977, the new Raybro Clearwater location on Calumet Street was up and running, serving the needs of the electrical contractors and electricians in the area.