by Stewart Delnevo

Fred Delnevo
The founder of Del Tech Associates

Del Tech Associates is a manufacturer's rep firm & distributor founded in 1971. We sell mainly to the printed circuit fabrication and electronic assembly industries. We cover the states of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

The company was founded by Fred Delnevo in 1971. Fred started calling on printed circuit fabricators & general industrial accounts originally and the business started to grow. By 1974 there was a need for more salesman so Len Bernier, (a former boss and current friend of Fred), joined the company. Len was an electrical engineer and got the company into electronic assembly equipment. He came with an impressive pedigree in both electronics and management. His designs of classified anti-radar tubes were still in the B52's that flew over us on our sales trips to Wichita back in the early '80s.

Shortly after Len started, Russ Delnevo and then Stewart Delnevo, (Fred's sons) joined Del Tech. Both Len and Fred took Russ and me under their wing to teach us the ropes of sales and the industry. There were many late nights and long discussions at motel rooms on the road. I learned a lot from them, about business and life. This was a time of great memories.

Len left the company in 1983 to take a position with Northern Telecom. He kept in touch and we met frequently at trade shows, in Springfield and Nashville to discuss industry trends and just visit. He continued to give us direction and play a vital roll as an advisor on industry trends and point us in the right direction. The directions Len gave Del Tech were vital, valuable and accurate. Len was based out of Hendersonville, TN and lived with his wife Sherry there until he died in 10/1996.

Fred Delnevo and Len Bernier
Circa 1980 at Nepcon West

Fred passed away from a brief bout with cancer 10/30/86. His death reeled the company as I was not prepared to take over as President. Dad had always told me to go out and sell and not worry about the administrative aspect. Having lost him as a father, boss and good friend was tough. But we managed to keep things afloat and I learned the books and kept sales going. I took over as president and took a more active role in the pc fab lines from that point forward.

A year later in November of 1987 Greg Stromberg joined Del Tech. He came to us from Circuit Services in Minnesota. Greg brought a good knowledge of wet processing and some of the related equipment we were selling at the time with him. Shortly after he arrived we expanded our territory into Texas. Greg also was a great friend and came to Del Tech when I needed someone to help me with sales and running the business. Greg was an active salesman and great motivator in his own way

Greg was responsible for helping our pc fab division thrive in the early and mid 90.s. I could not have grown the company and kept all the balls in the air we had without him. I owe him a big debt of gratitude.

Greg died of a heart attack tragically on 5/6/1998. I miss him a lot, but still get a big smile on my face when I think of him and the things we used to do together both business related and non.

Jeff Grayless started with Del Tech in 1989 and is still with the company. Jeff was a friend of the family that was interested in the company and had played a role up to that point in installations and some customer service. He started as an active salesman in 1989 and is still going. Jeff heads up our electronic assembly lines sales. He has sold major installations throughout his career with Del Tech and continues to be of service to our customer base.

As was the case with the entire industry Del Tech thrived in the late 90s and early 2000. That was when we started with many of the key equipment lines we currently have. Many major installations were sold during those years. As the industry faltered in late 2000 we kept the business going by keeping our costs down and still getting out there and seeing our customers. We have been through a tough few years but are finally seeing some encouraging signs from our customers and the industry in general.

Jeff, Russ and I are active salesman for Del Tech. We are enthusiastic and optimistic about the future of the industries we serve. For a look at the lines we currently handle go to our home page.

Thanks for your interest in Del Tech.