Our drive as a business is to help customers resolve unexpected challenges and find solutions quickly when they need it the most: Aaron Nursey of Direct Components

“We were able to exponentially increase our in-house stock and shorten fulfillment times to 48 hours, which makes us one of the fastest sourcing firms on the planet.”

Direct Components, operating as an independent stock distribution company, has established a vast global network of trusted and reliable suppliers. This unique advantage, in contrast to its rivals, has empowered Direct Components to procure high-quality, allocated, obsolete, and hard-to-find components at exceptionally budget-friendly rates, subsequently passing on these cost savings to its esteemed clients. The company supports the supply chains of OEMs, CMs, EMS companies and distributors worldwide.

Aaron Nursey founded Direct Components in 1998 and currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the company.

Direct Components is headquartered in Tampa, FL.

The Silicon Review contacted Mr. Nursey, and here's his response.

Interview Highlights

What circumstances or events led to the creation of Direct Components? Please brief us about the history so far.

I started the business in 1998. By the year 2000, we realized that there was a major analog device shortage. OEMs were scouring the planet looking for these parts with little success. Despite only being in the business for two years, we were able to find the parts and save countless assembly lines from shutting down. Since then, locating hard-to-find parts and being able to expertly navigate the market has been our mantra. This made us a pivotal resource for countless global companies when supply chains slowed to a stop during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Setbacks are a part of every growing business. Tell us about a few roadblocks and learning lessons that helped Direct Components grow through the years.

One of the biggest challenges we’ve had as a company was growing over 800% in three years. That may sound like a good thing, but there is a lot of work and planning that comes with it. At the time, we had so many orders coming in that we didn’t have the capacity to test and ship parts as fast as our customers needed. The solution was to step back and analyze our entire process. We realized that expanding our testing lab and warehouse allowed us to adjust our overall workflow, which would eliminate delays and increase quality assurances at the same time. We were able to exponentially increase our in-house stock and shorten fulfillment times to 48 hours, which makes us one of the fastest-sourcing firms on the planet.

Q. As a leading broad-line stocking distributor, what are Direct Components’ key focus areas?

We focus on helping customers keep production lines moving and providing best-in-class sourcing services for active and passive components. That involves passing on our knowledge of the market, navigating its complexity for customers, ensuring quality through rigorous testing standards, and fulfilling orders with no delays. Our drive as a business is to help customers resolve unexpected challenges and find solutions quickly when they need it the most.

Q. What strategies do you have in place to encourage innovation in your company?

Over the past two years, we’ve expanded our workforce by over 80%. That's allowed our sourcing specialists who championed the supply chain crisis to pass on well-earned market intelligence through innovative training programs that are always ongoing. We’ve also doubled down on our commitment to quality by expanding our facilities to 10 times our original size, bolstering our storage and testing capabilities. With all that growth, the key to our success has been cultivating a corporate culture that puts teamwork first and is just as fun to be a part of as it is efficient at sourcing parts. It's the people who make the place, so we pride ourselves in putting the right people in the right seats to solve any complex problem that comes our way.

Q. Can you provide us with one or two success stories describing the challenges your clients faced and how Direct Components helped them overcome those challenges?

A few years ago, one of our customers purchased parts from an alternative source overseas and asked us to test the product for them because the supplier couldn’t ensure the quality of the parts. When we received the shipment and opened the box, we didn’t find semiconductors at all – the box was filled with small furniture assembly parts. The customer had already paid in full, and it was clear that the original supplier hadn’t even opened the box before shipping. With no delay, we were able to correct the problem by finding, testing and shipping the correct parts at a much lower price than originally paid.

Tell us, what’s next for Direct Components.

Having just received major recognition as the fastest-growing company in our region, we see a great future ahead. We’re currently launching new initiatives in purchasing, sales and marketing that will focus on helping customers avoid unexpected delays, save on overall costs, and make better-informed decisions earlier in product planning stages. It’s all part of our mission to simplify the sourcing process and give clients more of what they need when they need it.

Q. Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up?

A lot of companies talk about core values and how essential they are to their process, but we go the extra mile to make sure that each member of our team lives those values every day. Anyone who walks the floors of our facility can see how respect, teamwork and integrity play out in real-time interactions across every department. That’s because dependability and commitment are qualities that we take seriously. We’ve learned that working with people you can count on in a place you can be proud of is the key to maintaining excellence.

Aaron Nursey | Founder & CEO

A visionary leader and business-savvy executive, Aaron Nursey brings a wealth of knowledge to his role as founder and CEO of Direct Components. His profound ability to think outside the box on behalf of stakeholders has placed the company on an upward trajectory for over 25 years, with recent inclusions in the Inc. 5000 list and Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Fast 50. Aaron’s business acumen, coupled with his spirit of generosity, led to the 2022 inception of The Nursey Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to impacting the lives of those in vulnerable communities throughout Tampa Bay.

“Having just received major recognition as the fastest-growing company in our region, we see a great future ahead.”

“One of the biggest challenges we’ve had as a company was growing over 800% in three years. That may sound like a good thing, but there is a lot of work and planning that comes with it.”