In 1961, Ike Nizam arrived in the United States. He didn't speak English and knew nothing about the electronics industry, but the US had drawn him in as "the source" of the business world and he was determined to succeed. While he learned English at night, he worked during the day, washing dishes and working on a farm. After graduating from Portland State University, he was offered a different kind of job: selling electronic controls for Syracuse Electronics.

This move paid off as Ike found success as a salesman. Soon he would be offered another move, this time to the West Coast to open a branch office. Ike jumped at the opportunity to leave the frigid Syracuse winters behind and set his sights on sunny Santa Monica, California. After a few years, he realized that he was ready for bigger things, and Master Distributors was born. What began as Ike selling relays out of the closet in his apartment has now become Master Electronics, a leading authorized distributor of electronic components.