Our Story

Richards returned home after the war to find that power poles put up by his company often stood wireless for months because of post-war shortages in wire. Seeing that a market existed, he decided the only way to ensure a steady supply of wire was to make it himself.

On March 23, 1950, Southwire was founded, and began production with 12 employees and second-hand machinery. Two years later, the company had shipped 5 million pounds of wire and doubled its plant size.

Since that time, Southwire has become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of wire and cable and an emerging influence in the industrial electrical space. With more than 7,000 employees, the company serves customers in a wide variety of markets across the globe and has introduced many industry-changing innovations like the SCR® continuous casting process, SIMpull Solutions® products and services, and many more.

Roy Richards passed away in 1985, but his spirit and legacy live on through his children and grandchildren, as the company remains family-owned. Upon Roy Sr.’s death, leadership of the company transitioned to two of his sons, Roy Jr. and Jim, with Roy Jr. eventually serving as CEO. Later son Lee Richards joined the firm. Under a second generation of Richards leadership, Southwire concentrated on its core business of wire and cable manufacturing.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Southwire continued to grow under family leadership, looking at opportunities to expand domestically and internationally, including the purchase of its plant in Starkville, Miss. and the introduction of a home for ongoing research and development - the D.B. Cofer Technology Center - named for D.B. “Pete” Cofer, Southwire’s first chief engineer. In 1996, Southwire built Forte Power Systems in Heflin, Ala., providing an opportunity for expansion of medium and high voltage cable production, and two years later started production at Southwire Americana De Mexico, a building wire plant.