Carr honored with WCMA Distinguished Career Award

March 27, 2023

WCMA’s annual Distinguished Career Awards Dinner hosts over 300 industry leaders, executives, representatives, and guests from the electrical and electronic wire and cable industry including many industry veterans who have been honored in the past since this recognition started in 1985. 

Feature Story in Award Program
37th Annual Distinguished Career Award
Rich Carr, CEO, Sequel Wire & Cable

Born: August 29, 1951, Auburn, Indiana
Residence: Bremen, Indiana
Education: B.S. Business and Economics, Manchester University
Family: Wife, Betty Jo (married 49 years); son Andy, his wife Tracey, their son Austin; daughter Nikki, her husband Jeremy, and their daughter Henley
Interests: Showing horses, spending time with grandchildren, being active in church and Mission Fields, mowing my lawn

Carr is in his 50th year in the wire and cable industry. He started at Ristance Corporation in 1973 as a supervisor in the harness assembly area, then advanced to General Manager, reporting to an EVP of Echlin Corporation. During his 17 years there, Ristance became prominent in the field by adding copper fabrication, insulating, and making their own PVC and silicone compound.

Concurrently, Carr and his wife Betty worked as a team to take on entrepreneurial ventures while being dedicated to their marriage and a growing family. They started a grain farming operation, a quarter horse breeding farm, an OTR freight company, and Copperfield.

Copperfield was founded in 1990 with Carr as one of the original owners. Seeing an opportunity for a new approach in the industry, the company launched with a “two kings” philosophy; the Customer and the Production Engineer were equal kings, and everyone else was a servant leader providing support. State-of-the-art technology, a world-class team, lean manufacturing, and pristine cleanliness in the facilities were unprecedented. Copperfield took on an equity partner and grew to $519M by 2007. Coleman Cable purchased Copperfield, and Carr stayed on as EVP of Manufacturing. Upon Coleman selling to Southwire in 2014, he accepted a new position as VP of Manufacturing, from which he retired in 2017.

The culmination of Carr’s career is Sequel Wire & Cable.  Founded in 2019 and entering production in March 2020, Sequel combined a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with 130+ years of combined management experience, quickly becoming a meaningful player in the industry. By employing the latest technologies, hiring the best employees, and maintaining an unrelenting focus on customer-centric relationships, Sequel set out to "humbly revolutionize every facet of the wire and cable industry."

Rich's role is to drive vision, provide guidance for Sequel's future, and assemble the right staff, machinery, and materials. "Engaging the people is the magic—they turn this into something that has never been done. My success is built on the people I've been able to attract and work with. I enjoy interfacing with employees to keep my finger on the pulse, and assuring the right actions are taken at the right time for success."