November 5, 2013 – Mouser Electronics, Inc., a leading global distributor of authorized semiconductors and electronic components, has received the top Electronics Choice Industry Award for Community Activism – Social or Educational Cause, from the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) at the ECIA’s annual executive conference Oct. 27-29 in Chicago.

The ECIA, a leading non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the expanding needs and interests of the authorized electronics supply chain, honored Mouser for its support of the 2013 FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC^®) season.

“It’s a tremendous honor for us to receive this Community Activism Award from the ECIA,” said Kevin Hess, Mouser Vice President of Technical Marketing.  “All of us here at Mouser are dedicated to inspiring young people's interest in science and technology, and we are proud to sponsor a program that supports the brightest young minds and future engineers. It’s our goal to build awareness for the program. FIRST®  provides students with a platform for innovation and a chance to solve real-world engineering challenges while helping to build self-esteem.”

The ECIA Award for the Community Activism marketing campaign recognizes Mouser’s multi-faceted support and promotion of the FIRST  Robotics Competition. Through FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), students in grades K-12 are engaged in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills. Through their support, Mouser helps FIRST^® provide high-school students participating in FRC with “real-world engineering” experience.

As a sponsor, Mouser exhibited at this year’s FIRST Championship Event in St. Louis, Mo., featuring its unique capabilities as the design-fulfillment distributor offering the newest products and advanced technologies. The company was a supplier for the FRC Kit of Parts (KOP) for the 2013 FRC season. Mouser also supports the FRC Competition Event in Dallas, Texas as a “Friends of the Future” sponsor. To learn more about Mouser’s support of FIRST, visit, http://www.mouser.com/first.

With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser caters to design engineers and buyers by delivering What's Next in advanced technologies. Mouser offers customers 20 global support locations and the latest, most technologically advanced components for their newest design projects. Mouser Electronics' website is updated daily and searches more than 10 million products to locate over 4 million orderable part numbers available for easy online purchase. Mouser.com also houses an industry-first interactive catalog, data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools.

About Mouser
Mouser Electronics, a subsidiary of TTI, Inc., is part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. Mouser is an award-winning authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor, focused on the rapid introduction of new products and technologies to electronic design engineers and buyers. Mouser.com features more than 4 million products online from more than 500 manufacturers. Mouser publishes multiple catalogs per year providing designers with up-to-date data on the components now available for the next generation of electronic devices. Mouser ships globally to over 400,000 customers in 170 countries from its 492,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility south of Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.mouser.com.

About ECIA
The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) was formed in 2011 by uniting the National Electronic Distributors Association (NEDA) and the Electronic Components Association (ECA). ECIA members are involved in the development of industry guidelines, EIA technical standards and unique component market statistics reports. The association is a steadfast advocate for the sale of authorized electronic components and operates an exclusive inventory search site for authorized product: www.ECIAauthorized.com. ECIA unites all segments of the electronic components industry in these efforts: manufacturers, authorized distributors and manufacturers representatives. For more information, visit www.ECIAonline.org.

About FIRST^®
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $16 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST^® Robotics Competition (FRC^® ) for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST^® Tech Challenge (FTC^® ) for Grades 7-12; FIRST^® LEGO^® League (FLL^® ) for Grades 4-8; and Junior FIRST^® LEGO^® League (Jr.FLL^®) for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism^® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.

Trademarks
Mouser and Mouser Electronics are registered trademarks of Mouser Electronics, Inc.  All other products, logos, and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.