Our History

From our humble beginnings more than 50 years ago, Pace has been forward thinking, innovation minded, and customer focused.

Our history demonstrates our ability to identify market needs and innovate solutions.

The Beginning

Identifying and Solutioning Market Needs.

In 1969, Pat Kehoe was a manufacturer’s representative at Panasonic. He recognized a need for more storage and distribution options in the East Coast manufacturing market. Pat used his industry insights to capitalize on this opportunity. In a bold move, he rented a 10,000 square foot warehouse in Upstate New York and Pace Electronics was born.

Early 1970s

Pacific Rim Component Sourcing

Trusted sources

Pace expanded services to include component sourcing from Japan. They set the standard to partner with only the most reputable suppliers to procure low-cost, high quality electronic components.

1977

Hong Kong Office Opened

Feet on the ground in Asia

Establishing a presence in Asia was a strategic move that provided greater access to suppliers and direct oversight of product quality. Pat Kehoe collaborated with respected Taiwanese businessman Peter Yang to expand Pace’s physical reach into the Asian market. Peter Yang began formalizing a logistics infrastructure, and continues to serve as a valued member of the Pace family to this day.

1987

Sodus Headquarters

Investing in the future

Pace opened its new headquarters in Sodus, NY. The space allowed them to manage the expanding business and meet the demands of a growing number of world-class clients.
Their foresight in design was able to accommodate continued company growth for more than 30 years.

Early 1990s

Shift to Chinese Sourcing

Understanding market trends

In the early 1990’s component prices in Taiwan and Japan began to rise. Pace recognized this trend early on, and was one of the first companies to look to China for sourcing.

1995

From Components to Turnkey

Expanding our expertise

When one of Pace’s largest customers needed a new source for board-level assemblies, Pace eagerly accepted the challenge. It was the beginning of Pace’s foray into electronic contract manufacturing services.

2000

Pace Tech Opens

Quality assurance from start to finish

Pace opens a new 641,000 square foot dedicated manufacturing facility in China which enables them to expand capabilities, ensure quality and provide engineering oversight for its growing number of contract manufacturing customers.

2008

Consumer Product Lines

Expanding product lines and facilities

Pace released its first full line of exit and emergency lighting products, extending their business operations to include consumer products and leading to the first expansion at Pace Tech. The manufacturing facility grows to 364,000 square feet.

2014

Expansion at Pace Tech

Continued expansion for better scalability

Recognizing the customer demand for scalability and flexibility, Pace once again expands its dedicated manufacturing facility. Pace Tech grows to 641,000 square feet and becomes a more attractive partner in contract manufacturing.

2019

Acquired Peter Parts Electronics

Merging two global leaders

With the acquisition of Peter Parts Electronics, Pace gained a state side sales staff with over 120 years of combined industry experience. Additionally, PPE’s staff in China included an English speaking engineer, and other team members who brought a wealth of logistic and sourcing expertise. The acquisition also expanded and diversified the Pace network of suppliers in the Far East.

2022

Move to Williamson, NY

Our eye on the future

The building in Williamson incorporates executive and administrative offices, 50,000 square feet of warehouse space and a 9,000 Square foot production area. Recognizing the need for stateside prototyping and small production runs, Pace used industry insight to capitalize on the opportunity and brought manufacturing capabilities to Williamson.

Looking Ahead

The Pace of Tomorrow

Building on the successes of our past

Pace has the infrastructure for continued expansion and will continue to leverage our overseas relationships and industry knowledge to provide the best possible customer experience.