For a century, Irby has grown alongside the communities we serve, supporting utilities, standing behind contractors, and helping power families nationwide. As we reach our 100-year milestone, we look back on a legacy built through dedicated people, meaningful partnerships, and the trust earned over generations.
Early Days
Ninety-nine years ago, Stuart Chalmers Irby was selling electrical supplies in Jackson, Mississippi—and he was about to establish one of the largest utility distributors in the United States.
Mr. Irby, as he was most often called, founded Stuart C. Irby Company in 1926, serving the South with electrical products and a powerful commitment: to put customers first, always. Whether it was staying late to fulfill an urgent order or finding creative solutions to supply chain challenges, Mr. Irby demonstrated what it meant to be a true partner.
“Customers first, always” quickly became the company’s slogan, and from that small crew in Mississippi to our nationwide team today, it has guided our success through every twist and turn.
"When a company grows rapidly, you expect the culture to change, but through every growth phase, from our single building in Jackson to our locations nationwide, we've kept the customer at the heart of every decision."
– Eddie Moak, Irby associate, retired after 47 years
Today, a team of nearly 1,000 Irby associates carries that same commitment to serve our customers best.
Our 100-Year Evolution
Over the decades, our evolution has always started with a question to customers: What do you need to succeed?
When our customers’ operations expanded beyond electric services, Irby stood up gas products and solutions so utilities could rely on a single, accountable partner. When crews needed safer, better tools, we built testing labs, repair teams, and custom fabrication services designed for the realities of the field.
As communications became the nervous system of modern utility operations, we assembled broadband expertise to help plan, build, and optimize networks. And as metering moved from manual reads to Advanced Metering Infrastructure, our metering team kept pace so utilities could manage smarter, faster, and more reliably.
We added jobsite services to keep projects moving, disaster response to get downed systems back up quickly, a company-managed truck fleet to deliver when timing is critical, and an inventory management platform that makes accuracy a breeze.
In every expansion, the pattern is clear: Irby moves toward our customers’ success. The Next 100Even a century after Stuart first opened his doors, Irby's commitment to customers remains unchanged: we will fully understand their needs, then do whatever it takes to meet them.
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"Every new offering, expansion, and advancing investment comes from developing a deep understanding of our customers. A true service-minded attitude has made us a great partner to utilities and utility contractors and has driven our success in every stage of our growth and industry change. We listen, we learn, and we adapt."
– Joe LeNoir, President, Irby
Here's to the next hundred years of powering communities with electricity, gas, and communications, supporting utilities and contractors, and staying true to the principle that has guided us from day one. Thank you to all who have made this journey possible.