Who Owns Black Box Corporation?

Black Box Corporation was founded in 1976 as Expandor, Inc. by Eugene Yost and Richard Raub. The company was initially based in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and later moved to Simi Valley, California, before relocating its headquarters to Lawrence, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh) in the 1980s. The company's first catalog listed nine products in six pages, focusing on data communications products and accessories.

The name "Black Box" came from the colloquial term for the printer switches and data communication devices the company sold. These devices were popularly called "black boxes" because they were enclosed in dark casing and performed specialized functions. In 1982, the company changed its name from Expandor, Inc. to Black Box Corporation and released its well-known Black Box Catalog, which became a staple reference for IT professionals purchasing data communications equipment.

Through the 1980s, Black Box grew its catalog business, offering an expanding range of data communication and networking products. The company became known for its 24/7 technical support, which differentiated it from competitors who offered limited support hours. The catalog approach allowed Black Box to reach a broad customer base without a large direct sales force.

In 1992, Black Box Corporation went public on NASDAQ under ticker BBOX. The IPO provided capital for expansion through acquisitions and geographic growth. Through the 1990s and 2000s, Black Box acquired numerous companies in the IT infrastructure and services space, expanding its portfolio beyond catalog products to include installed cabling, network services, and unified communications.

The company expanded internationally, forming joint ventures and acquiring companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and South America. Black Box grew from a catalog-based product company into a full-service IT infrastructure provider, offering design, installation, and maintenance services for data centers, networks, and communication systems.

In 2018, Black Box sold its federal government IT services business to Arlington Capital Partners, which created Tyto Athene from the acquired division. This divestiture simplified Black Box's business ahead of the AGC Networks acquisition.

On November 11, 2018, AGC Networks Pte. Ltd. (a Singapore-based subsidiary of AGC Networks Limited) announced a definitive merger agreement to acquire Black Box Corporation at $1.10 per share in cash. The Black Box Board of Directors unanimously approved the agreement following a strategic review that began in February 2018. The tender offer expired on January 4, 2019, with approximately 59.89% of outstanding shares tendered. The merger was completed on January 7, 2019, and Black Box was delisted from NASDAQ.

The acquisition added over $600 million in annual revenue to AGC Networks, taking the combined entity's revenue to over $750 million with more than 4,000 employees across 25 countries. The deal also reduced Black Box's original debt of over $150 million by approximately half.

Following the acquisition, Black Box continued to operate under its own brand within the AGC Networks structure. In 2021, AGC Networks changed its corporate name to Black Box Limited, unifying the combined entity under the Black Box brand. The company moved its headquarters to Plano, Texas, consolidating US operations.

As of 2026, Black Box operates in 75 locations across 35 countries with approximately 2,189 employees. The company's services include IT infrastructure, 5G, data centers, cybersecurity, unified communications, KVM switches, digital signage, network management, network security, and WAN optimization. CEO Sanjeev Verma leads the company.