1965 - 1984

The Pace Of Change Quickens

In 1969 Graybar celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of Gray & Barton with events across the nation. In Lima, Ohio, a company luncheon at the Milano Club was attended by branch employees, the mayor and other local dignitaries. The San Mateo, California, branch, which had recently moved to larger quarters, held an open house with displays of electrical equipment from 65 suppliers. The San Mateo Times wrote, “Graybar, the nation’s largest independent distributor of electrical materials, points with pride at its new development illustrating growth and progressive service to its customers.”

That same year, Bernard Whaley became Graybar’s sixth president, succeeding John Reine. Whaley was a southern gentleman who dressed impeccably. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, he graduated from the University of Richmond and joined Graybar in the Richmond, Virginia, warehouse in 1936. He became a credit manager in Richmond and then financial manager and later manager of the Kansas City district. He was corporate executive vice president and treasurer before being named to Graybar’s top job.

Whaley was a “brain” and a “doer,” according to employee-author Frederick Warburton. During his tenure Whaley implemented major changes in the company’s marketing and compensation programs. In addition he was unrelenting in his insistence on ethical conduct, a Graybar tradition. James Hoagland, who succeeded Whaley as president in 1980, says, “He was an absolute straight arrow. There was only one way to do it, and that was the right way. Straight as can be.”