Doherty replaces Larson at Digi-Key helm

He follows a class act. In my goodness knows how many years covering the distribution business I reckon Larson’s impact matches that of Steve Kaufman another industry icon who grew Arrow Electronics into the global force it is today.

Consider – Digi-Key was a small time local distributor reporting revenues of $800,000 when Larson took up his role. Today it operates across the globe with revenues of $1.7bn revenue.

Under Larson’s guidance the company has built a trust with its customers – delivering orders in full and on time – traits recognised by independent market surveys where it regularly outscores the competition.

The theatre of this long-running success is Thief River Falls, a small town in northern Minnesota. Under Larson Digi-Key has stayed faithful to its locale when it might have been tempted to shift operations to a more convenient locale.

Mark Larson will continue to play a supporting role at Digi-Key. He will take up a board level position where he will serve as a company advisor.

“It’s certainly been an amazing ride, commented Larson. “ Over the past 39 years, I’ve enjoyed the daily challenge of adapting and improving our business to better serve our customers. By staying the course and focusing on the fundamentals, we just kept doing what we did best better and better each day. Looking forward, as the industry continues to evolve, Digi-Key is well positioned for the next stage and I’m extremely confident in the future of the company with Dave Doherty at the helm.”