Jim Moreland

Jim Moreland’s chance meeting with the president of electrical products distributor WESCO led to an opportunity to get into the electrical supply and engineering business. The rest has been up to him.

Moreland, retired from Westinghouse at the time, was on a flight to Dallas from Pittsburgh that returned to Pittsburgh International Airport shortly after takeoff because of mechanical trouble. He was placed on another flight in a seat in the same row as Roy Haley, CEO of electrical products distributor WESCO.

The two struck up a conversation, which led to Haley suggesting Moreland investigate becoming an electrical products distributor and indicating that WESCO had an interest in helping minorities establish such ventures.

Moreland, an acoustical engineer by training, and his two sons, both electrical engineers, launched Jaymore Electrical Products & Systems in 1996 with WESCO’s help and have built it into an enterprise that posted about $7 million in sales last year. The company has fulfilled contracts for construction supplies for PNC Park and the Hillman Cancer Center, supplies electrical lamps for the entire UPMC Health System and designs and builds custom products for commercial projects.

The company also provides custom engineering services for its clients.

Ray Marano