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Bell Micro’s 20th Anniversary

1988: Don Bell had been tossing the idea of creating a distribution company to distribute semiconductors and computer products to OEMs and VARs – and compete against industry giant Marshall - for quite some time. In fact, Don took most of 1987 off in order to work on business plans – and race on the pro circuit in his spare time. Aside from being Don’s best year ever on the pro racing circuit, 1988 was the year that Bell Microproducts was born.

“Bell Micro’s beginnings are rooted in a can-do-get it-done attitude, and we haven’t lost that entrepreneurial spirit – even at $4 billion.” - Bob Sturgeon

Bell Micro was founded as a different kind of company, one which was heavily owned by its employees and featured a fun environment in which to work. Even its initial business plan was different: Bell Micro did not want to be all things to all people, as so many distributors of that day and age were. By not spreading themselves thin and making a very focused effort in the semiconductor market, Bell Micro offered a competitive advantage – even very early on.

Today, the company is one of the world's largest value-added distributors of storage and computing technology. What does the future hold for Bell Micro? The company will continue to focus on doing good things for its customers, including bringing in the best talent, , moving into new markets and expanding geographically. According to Don Bell, Bell Micro strives to be “The best place for customers to do business, and the best place for employees to work.”

“20 years seems like just yesterday – it has gone by so fast. The time really sneaks up on you. We’re just getting started. I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of Bell Micro’s employees, suppliers and customers for helping make the company what it is today. Our success would not have been possible without you.” – Don Bell

top highlights

OTC: BELM.PK
Incorporated: 1987
IPO: 1993
CEO: W. Donald Bell
Global Headquarters:
San Jose, California
2,000 Employees Worldwide
55 Locations in the Americas and Europe
Key Markets: Storage Products, Storage Systems, Computer Systems, Semiconductors