Steve Raymund, Chairman and CEO / Tech Data

So far this year, Florida&'s west coast has been spared a direct hit. “Knock on wood,” Raymund says. But to be safe, Raymund is building his new house with windows that can withstand 130-mph winds and concrete walls with “more iron in them than the Brooklyn Bridge.”

Given his steady temperament and long tenure as chairman and CEO of Tech Data, it should be no surprise that Raymund, who turned 50 this month, is similarly safe with his business. The Clearwater, Fla.-based distributor&'s disaster plan, which includes flying some employees to Canada, is vintage Raymund in thoroughness. Even if the company were to get slammed by a hurricane, he says, the transition to backup operations “would be as close to seamless as possible.”

Like the Gulf Coast hurricanes, dark clouds swirling around Tech Data also come from the other side of the Atlantic. The company attributed a $59.4 million loss in its second quarter ended July 31 largely to write-offs and pricing issues related to its Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. Worldwide revenue was up 5.5 percent to $4.83 billion, while sales in the Americas jumped 13.2 percent for the quarter.

Raymund has weathered plenty of storms before. His longevity at Tech Data helps the distributor stay on course, says longtime friend Bob Anastasi, senior managing director and director of equity research at Raymond James Financial Services.

There aren&'t many executives in the industry that have led their companies for as long as Raymund has, Anastasi said. “Steve is one of the very, very few.”