For the first time in its history, Hughes Supply Inc., Orlando, will name a nonfamily member to the helm of the company.

The Hughes Supply board of directors recently announced its plans for CEO succession. Effective at its annual meeting in May, the board will appoint its president, Tom Morgan, to the additional post of CEO.

In Hughes' 75-year history, the company has had only three other chief executive officers. The first CEO was Russell Hughes, the second was Harry Hughes, and in 1974 David Hughes was elected to CEO. For continuity and for the company to benefit from his years of experience, Hughes will remain as chairman of the board.

David Hughes said, “Tom Morgan was recruited two years ago to serve as president and COO. Prior to joining Hughes, Tom learned the distribution business with more than 20 years at Genuine Parts Co. In his short time with us, Tom has led the way to continued improvement and has proven to be the person we need to take our company to the next level.”

Under Hughes' leadership, the company grew from a local distributor of building supplies with sales of $30 million to one of the nation's largest wholesale distributors of a diverse mix of construction materials with more than 450 branches in 34 states and sales exceeding $3 billion.

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