EXHIBIT 99.1
(WESCO DISTRIBUTION(SM) LOGO)  NEWS RELEASE
                               -------------------------------------------------
                               WESCO International, Inc. / Suite 700, 225 West
                               Stations Square Drive / Pittsburgh, PA 15219


                  WESCO INTERNATIONAL, INC. ANNOUNCES HIRING OF
          JOHN ENGEL, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER


           Contact: Roy W. Haley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
          WESCO International, Inc. (412) 454-2236, Fax: (412) 454-2550
                            http://www.wescodist.com


Pittsburgh, PA, July 14, 2004 - WESCO International, Inc. [NYSE:WCC], a leading
provider of electrical MRO products, construction materials, and advanced
integrated supply procurement outsourcing services, announced today that it has
hired John Engel in the new role of Senior Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer. Mr. Engel will immediately assume full responsibility for WESCO's
branch-based distribution operations and related headquarters and field support
functions.

Mr. Engel has an engineering degree from Villanova and an MBA from the
University of Rochester. His work experience includes significant operations,
marketing, and general management roles with General Electric, Allied
Signal/Honeywell, PerkinElmer, and Gateway. In announcing his appointment, Roy
W. Haley, WESCO's Chairman and CEO, said, "John is a high-energy individual who
has developed a reputation as an agent for change and operational improvement.
He has had great experience working with large and demanding organizations. John
has an excellent blend of strategy and performance management skills. His
hands-on management style and certain recent responsibilities, including
international marketing and sales development, low-cost country sourcing, and
operational cost outsourcing, will be quite valuable to WESCO's continuous
improvement initiatives."

Mr. Engel and his family are in the process of relocating from Boston to the
Upper St. Clair area of Pittsburgh.

In a separate announcement, WESCO has promoted Steve Van Oss, currently Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer to Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial and Administrative Officer. Mr. Van Oss, who joined WESCO in 1997, now
has responsibility for all of WESCO's finance and accounting, business
development, human resources, information technology, legal and other
administrative and support departments.






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WESCO International, Inc. [NYSE: WCC] is a publicly traded Fortune 500 holding
company, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whose primary operating
entity is WESCO Distribution, Inc. WESCO Distribution is a leading distributor
of electrical construction products and electrical and industrial maintenance,
repair and operating (MRO) supplies, and is the nation's largest provider of
integrated supply services with 2003 annual product sales of approximately $3.3
billion. The Company employs approximately 5,200 people, maintains relationships
with 24,000 suppliers, and serves more than 100,000 customers worldwide. Major
markets include commercial and industrial firms, contractors, government
agencies, educational institutions, telecommunications businesses and utilities.
WESCO operates five fully automated distribution centers and over 350
full-service branches in North America and selected international markets,
providing a local presence for area customers and a global network to serve
multi-location businesses and multi-national corporations.


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The matters discussed herein may contain forward-looking statements that are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from expectations. Certain of these risks are set forth in the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2003, as well as the Company's other reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.