Tech Electronics history

Then in 1970 Gene Amdahl, the designer of the System 360 and its successor, the System 370, left IBM to start his own enterprise, producing a plug-compatible System 370.

Kent Electronics was established in 1973 by Morrie Abramson and James Corporron.

Kent phased out its radio and television parts business in 1978 and began selling industrial parts, mainly to the oil and gas industry in Texas.

In late 1982 Kent became the AMP distributor for Texas.

In 1983 the company expanded into contract manufacturing and established K*TEC Electronics in Houston as a wholly owned subsidiary.

Kent's geographic expansion since 1986 had been dramatic, but it was also the result of a disciplined, orderly expansion plan.

In December 1987 K*TEC opened a second manufacturing facility in Dallas, bringing it closer to a large number of OEMs in diversified industries.

In January 1988, Kent Datacomm launched an aggressive marketing campaign that included distributing a catalog to voice and data communication end-users to increase the new company's visibility.

Kent moved to become a national distributor and manufacturer in its specialty electronics field when it negotiated an option agreement on April 4, 1991, to acquire Shelley-Ragon, Inc., an electronics distributor located in St Paul, Minnesota.

In 1993 it strengthened its position as a single source for the networking needs of its customers by expanding its offerings to include intelligent products such as hubs, routers, bridges, and modems.

Kent began expanding its physical facilities in Texas in March 1995, when it purchased a 66-acre parcel of land with an option to buy an additional 30 acres in Sugar Land, Texas, located near Houston.