Worldwide Supply_web

WORLDWIDE SUPPLY I made a list of every mistake I had made in business over the years, and I also made a list of the things I felt we did very well, both pre- and post-acquisition. And the most important lesson I learned was the im- portance of our organizational structure and our people. JAY VANORDEN CEO “I was looking for capital. We were some- what undercapitalized and were looking for access to the public companies cus- tomer base, which were large carriers and cable operators. They, in turn, were looking for a company that had data expertise, be- cause, at that time, the market was moving towards data/internet protocol, compared to the telephony/telecom world. So, we married the two organizations together and over the next few years grew the com- pany to about $250 million in revenue and about 360 employees.” However, after a few years, VanOrden did make an exit out of the business. “I ended up retiring at 39,” he recounts. “I was somewhat burned out. I put a lot of hours in over a long period of time building the organization and I also didn’t like the direction the public com- pany was taking the business; it was not con- ducive to long-term success, in my view. So, I left the organization, got out of the business, and felt life was great. Six months later, I was absolutely miserable and I found out that what drives me out of bed in the morning is the challenge of building and growing an organization. To me, that’s the fun. I couldn’t find anything that replaced the fast-paced na- ture of our business and our industry.” So, refreshed and refurbished himself, Va- nOrden got back in the game, starting World- wide Supply in 2004. “I made a list of every mistake I had made in business over the years, and I also made a list of the things I felt we did very well, both pre- and post-ac- quisition,” he says. “And the most important lesson I learned was the importance of our organizational structure and our people. That’s where it started and what led us to creating the foundation that allowed us to have continued growth and success.” Today, Worldwide Supply averages between 80 and 100 employees, and maintains over a dozen facilities throughout the U.S. “We are also in Central and South America; Amster- dam is our headquarters in Europe,” VanOrden