Stuart C. Irby Co. Strikes a Chord in the Music City

Irby welcomes over 2300 customers to Nashville as host distributor for
Rockwell Automation’s 2008 Automation Fair

JACKSON, Miss., February 2, 2009 – Stuart C. Irby Company, a subsidiary of Sonepar USA, recently served as the host distributor for Rockwell Automation’s 17th annual Automation Fair.  The 2008 festivities were held in Nashville, TN, where over 9,600 industry professionals gathered for the 2-day show.

After spending the day learning about the latest developments in automation technology at the historic Opryland Hotel, over 1500 Irby customers were treated to a memorable night out in the legendary Music City.  The evening began with a reception at the Hilton – Downtown Nashville, where customers enjoyed dinner and entertainment compliments of the host distributor.  The night was highlighted by a private concert at the historic Ryman Auditorium, where country music star Brad Cotter took the stage and entertained the crowd before country music legend Charlie Daniels performed.  The evening ended with the Charlie Daniels Band performing an unforgettable rendition of its hit song “Devil Goes Down to Georgia.”

According to Rockwell, Irby customers made up a significant portion of this year’s turnout.  In fact, from a total of 5,090 Rockwell customers at the show, 2,366 were also current customers of Irby.  This represents an increase of over 300 customers compared to last year’s host distributor in Chicago, IL.

"The overall response from our customers has been great,” said Mike Leech, VP of Industrial Sales at Stuart C. Irby Co. “Everyone enjoyed their time at the show, and we were able to provide some fun and entertainment for our loyal customers.  It was truly a great experience.”

 “Each year, the Automation Fair succeeds in showcasing the very latest developments in the field of automation,” said Leech.  “We’ve seen great value in our association with this event, and that was further evidenced by the turnout of Irby customers this year in Nashville.”

Editor’s Note: For more information, please contact Tim Rice at (412) 394-6611 or tim.rice@bm.com.

About Stuart C. Irby Co.
Stuart C. Irby Company was founded in 1926 and is based in Jackson, Mississippi with 875 employees in 58 locations in 21 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas). To find out more, go to www.irby.com or www.sonepar-usa.com.

About Sonepar USA
Sonepar USA is made up of the finest electrical supply distributors in the United States. The company has over 4,600 associates in 12 companies operating more than 253 branches in 35 states. In 2007, Sonepar USA achieved $3 billion in revenue. It is a member of the Sonepar group - the world's largest privately held electrical distributor. Worldwide, Sonepar employs over 34,000 employees, with 2,050 branch locations and 2007 annual sales of $19 billion pro forma.