[2] Ronald was born in Roseau, Minnesota to Arthur Vernon (1909–2011) and Ina (Olson) Stordahl (1922–2020) in 1943.
Stordahl's interest in ham radio provided the springboard for what became Digi-Key Electronics.
[4] While in college he assembled and began selling a digital electronic keyer kit for sending radiotelegraph code for ham radio operators.
[5][6] After obtaining his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Stordahl returned to his hometown of Thief River Falls.
The privately held company has annual sales of over $3 billion and employs over 4,000 people.