Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, TTI, Inc. is a world-leading authorized distributor and specialist in electronic components, offering inventory from hundreds of the world's leading manufacturers. TTI’s extensive product line and supply chain solutions have made it the distributor of choice for industrial, military, aerospace and consumer electronic manufacturers worldwide.
Fort Worth native Paul Andrews graduated from Arlington Heights High School and attended the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Christian University. It was in 1964, that Andrews started what he deemed his first real job, working in the shipping department at Howell Instruments. In 1966, he moved to Arco Electronics in Arlington, Texas, and then to General Dynamics in 1968. In 1971, along with 20,000 others, Andrews was laid off from when the F-111 jet fighter/bomber project was grounded.
Almost immediately Andrews started Tex-Tronics with the idea that it would be a temporary source of income until he could find permanent employment. (The name Tex-Tronics was later changed to TTI). As a buyer at General Dynamics, Andrews had difficulty procuring certain types of electronic components. With that in mind, he started brokering those parts, providing better service and delivery than the large, established distributors.
In 2000, Mouser Electronics, in Mansfield, Texas, caught Andrews’ attention and the purchase served to propel TTI into the catalog distributor segment. Subsequently, 11 more acquisitions would follow, adding to TTI’s global presence in the distribution market.
Over the years Andrews had numerous offers to sell his company to publicly owned companies and competitors. In 2006, he began to explore various options and was introduced to investment icon Warren Buffett. The following year TTI and subsidiary Mouser Electronics joined the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies.