At the young age of 29, in a spare bedroom, John Ashour founded InterConnect Wiring. He told his family he was going to start a company in their hometown of Fort Worth, and John’s youngest sister, Clare, age 25, asked to join. He said, “Sure. I will be President and you will be Vice President. We can’t get paychecks for the first 4-5 years since we have to buy equipment and tools and hire our first assembler.” Clare, who has always believed in and trusted her brother’s forward-thinking ideas, said, “Okay. That sounds good.”  InterConnect’s first contract was to make an F-16 wiring harness for Hill Air Force Base and they still make F-16 wiring harnesses to this day.

Clare McGarrey explains, “Over the last 32 and ½ years, InterConnect has grown from a small business in that spare bedroom, to a 5500 sq. ft facility off of Old Benbrook Road, to our current location that we bought in 1998, at 5024 W. Vickery Blvd.”  InterConnect Wiring now has 200 employees and is globally recognized as the premium manufacturer of electrical wiring harnesses, cockpit panels, circuit breaker panels, fiberoptic cable assemblies, ground support equipment, and sheet metal assembles. InterConnect proudly supports aerospace and defense (A&D) giants such as Lockheed Martin, Bell, Boeing, L3Harris, BAE, and Sikorsky, along with the United States Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, and Army. For many years InterConnect has supported allies with its F-16 Rewire Programs including Air Forces in Portugal, Romania, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia, among others. 

John’s entrepreneurial spirit turned his dream into a reality but it wasn’t easy. In the first several years, as the company was growing, John was forced to keep the company running using as many credit cards as he was able to obtain. This was an extremely difficult time and to honor that determination and never forget where they came from, John proudly displays those credit cards on the wall in his office.

Some of the platforms that InterConnect has supported over the years include the F-16, F-22, F-35, F-15, B-2, B-52, B-1B, C-130, CH-47, AH-1, UH-1, H-92, and UH-60.

Because of its attention to detail, quality, and exceptional customer service, InterConnect Wiring has received recognition including the following: Small Business of the Year from the Fort Worth Chamber, the Mayor’s International Global Business Award, the Department of Defense (DoD) Gold Medal Supplier, Lockheed Martin’s Top Supplier, Boeing’s Gold Supplier, Sikorsky’s Top Supplier, and L3Harris’ Top Supplier of the Month (twice).

Since its inception every Mayor of Fort Worth has taken the time to visit InterConnect and thank them for being such an important presence in Fort Worth, including Mayor Kay Granger (who became the most powerful Congresswoman in the United States as Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee), Mayor Mike Moncrief, Mayor Betsy Price, and now Mayor Mattie Parker (pictured above.)

InterConnect’s company culture, core values, and ‘Why’ statement are intertwined with its company slogan – CONNECTIONS MATTER.  Mr. Ashour states, “Our Why Statement is most important. Why do we do what we do? Because Connections Matter. Connections matter with our Employees, Suppliers, Customers, Community, and obviously our Products.”

When it comes to connections with employees, John and Clare particularly enjoy the weekly company-wide meetings, especially the week when it’s “game day”.  Don’t be surprised if you see many people in the parking lot on a Wednesday morning playing corn hole. You will also find fun posts on InterConnect’s social media pages about monthly birthday celebrations, outdoor hamburger day for that month’s KPI winners, or just plain fun dressing up for Halloween.

InterConnect’s community involvement focuses on local support for entities like the Como Rec. Center, Carter Blood Center, and the North Texas Heart Walk.

It is with great pleasure to announce that InterConnect will be unveiling its major expansion in production capabilities with the addition of a new sheet metal line at its upcoming Open House on Thursday, July 31st, from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. The Fort Worth Chamber will be present, with a Ribbon Cutting, marking InterConnect’s newest facility. If you are in the A&D industry, feel free to attend!

InterConnect will celebrate its new product line and showcase their five buildings by offering private factory tours, Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, fun entertainment (including massage therapist chair massages, a magician, and a sketch artist), as well as giveaways and grand door prizes.

This strategic move positions InterConnect Wiring as one of the few aerospace suppliers capable of providing both electrical and mechanical components under one roof, enabling faster lead times, increased quality control, and more vertically integrated solutions for military aircraft platforms.

It has been a long road for InterConnect and they look forward to the next 32 and ½ years to come!