ABOUT

R.L. COOK SALES & SUPPLY CO.

R.L. Cook Sales & Supply Co. was founded in 1945 by Ronald L. Cook of Seattle, Washington. With a background in the marine shipbuilding and machinist trades, R.L. saw great economic opportunity in the volume of surplus material that was available at the end of World War II, and he determined to take advantage of it by using his education and experience to form his own company.

The original business focused on the buying of general marine and marine electrical hardware and supplies and selling to a broad cross section of industrial users and distributors. The strong marine focus of the business led to a booming ship’s chandlery business: vessels would supply R.L. Cook Co. with a list of materials that needed to be supplied during the usually brief time that they were in port. In order to fill the list, R.L. had to develop a broad knowledge of a variety of materials as well as reliable sources of supply. The need to supply quality materials at the right price under the pressure of tight deadlines was to become the foundation of the company’s customer service philosophy: to go the "extra step" to get the customer what they needed, when they needed it, at a competitive price. That customer service philosophy is still at the heart of R.L. Cook Sales & Supply Co. today.

The business grew steadily until 1965, when age forced R.L. to downsize to a level more manageable for him. By that time, his oldest son (Ronald J. Cook) had already developed an interest in the business and a familiarity with his father’s business principles. During the period from 1965 to 1975, Ron Cook — present owner and president of the company — began the process of developing a first-hand knowledge of the business while attending high school and college.

Ron Cook took over operation of the company in 1975. Although the company’s market emphasis changed from marine-based material to industrial electrical construction supplies, the business principles and philosophies established by his father continue to guide the company. The ship’s chandlery experience, basis for the company’s customer service philosophy, actually strategically positioned the company to successfully service Alaska customers in the ’70s and ’80s.

Today, both of R.L.’s sons – Ron and Bob – work at the family business. R.L. Cook Sales & Supply Co. now serves a large nationwide base of electrical distributor customers from two large, modern, fully-stocked warehouse facilities in the South Park community of Seattle, Washington.

Though much has changed at R.L. Cook Sales & Supply Co. since 1945, the company maintains the time-honored principles established by R.L. at the beginning:

We support our community through the South Park Business Association, where Ron Cook presently holds the position of President. Ron has also served on the Board of the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL), a trade organization designed to improve quality and safety, and elevate the reputation of the electrical redistribution and remanufacturing industry.

At R.L. Cook Sales & Supply Co., our corporate philosophy is simple: if we can’t do it right, we won’t do it at all. We do not believe in growth for its own sake, but only to the extent it supports our Mission Statement: To be a consistently reliable wholesale redistributor of quality surplus electrical materials, and an industry leader in the areas of professionalism, quality standards and material handling procedures.