Smith Launches the Smith Global Foundation

The nonprofit foundation will support Smith’s global corporate social responsibility efforts

Houston, TX (May 16, 2023) – Smith, a leading global distributor of semiconductors and electronic components, today announces the launch of its new nonprofit foundation, the Smith Global Foundation. This organization will serve as a vehicle for supporting both local and international charitable causes.

“Smith has a long tradition of contributing to our global communities through our corporate social responsibility program,” said Bob Ackerley, Co-Founder and Director at Smith. “The Smith Global Foundation will formalize our charitable giving and provide another means for our employees to create a positive impact on the world around them.”

The company has made significant contributions to global causes, including donations of more than $750,000 in electronics to organizations providing aid to Ukrainian refugees last year. Smith has also supported its employees and their families through crises and other times of need. During the COVID lockdowns in Shanghai, for example, the company arranged the delivery of food and other necessities to its employees’ homes. Smith team members around the world have paid these kindnesses forward to others in their communities by purchasing school supplies and uniforms for local children, assembling sack lunches for people experiencing homelessness, cleaning up area beaches, and more.

The Smith Global Foundation’s inaugural fundraising campaign collected a sizeable amount to be donated to World Central Kitchen and USA for UNHCR to provide immediate relief to the communities impacted by the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey. Smith employees worldwide donated generously to the cause, and Smith supported these efforts with a dollar-for-dollar match.

“At Smith, we know the value of people. We don’t manufacture a product – we provide supply chain services to technology manufacturers through a world-class team of dedicated individuals. We are committed to our people, their families, their communities, and to the causes that are important to them,” said Lee Ackerley, Co-Founder and Director at Smith. “We are excited to grow this foundation, and, by drawing from our greatest assets – our people – we continue to strengthen our ability to support humanitarian-relief efforts both locally and beyond.”

About Smith 

Founded in 1984, Smith sources, manages, and distributes the electronic components that go into everything from mobile phones and computers to appliances and automobiles. In 19 cities around the world, Smith’s legion of employees communicates in 50 languages and dialects and buys and sells components 24 hours per day, generating global annual sales in excess of $4.8 billion in 2022. Smith is always moving: helping manufacturers navigate market shifts; customizing supply chain solutions; testing components using cutting-edge technology. The support of Smith’s flexible Intelligent Distribution^TM model optimizes customers’ supply chains from beginning to end, including offering customized options for IT asset disposition that deliver maximum ROI, sustainability, and security. Smith’s testing and logistics hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, and Singapore cover critical areas like quality management, counterfeit prevention, and environmental safety. Smith’s operations, purchasing, and sales worldwide are seamlessly integrated with the company’s global IT infrastructure, offering real-time, global inventory and logistics visibility. Smith is the leading independent distributor of electronic components and ranks number seven among all global distributors. For more information, please visit www.smithweb.com or reach out to a Smith representative any time of day at +1 713.430.3000.

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For more information, contact:
Rich Witmer
Smith, Senior Director of Marketing
+1 713.430.2141