The Representor - Fall 2007
Chapter News
Chapter News reports the local activities of the 25 chapters of ERA. The chapters sponsor educational and training workshops, regional trade shows, marketing group programs, and legislative and industry projects to enhance the professionalism of individual members and to further the goals of the national association.
CANADA ERA invited all reps to a mid-September dinner program in Toronto. The presentation of guest speaker Dave Pearce of Salestestonline.com was titled, "Hiring Need NOT Put You Out on a Limb."
CAROLINAS ERA reps, distributors and guests teed off in the 4th Annual Dick Paden Memorial Golf Tournament in mid-October. Proceeds of the event benefit both the Carolinas ERA Scholarship Fund and the American Diabetes Association (through a donation in the name of the late Dick Paden). The Carolinas Board recently honored the chapter's vice president/finance, Bob Ball of the Aurora Group, for successfully chairing the golf tournament for the last four years. The chapter's summer program event featured guest speaker Gary Shanahan of Digi-Key Corporation. His presentation focused on "How Digi-Key Is Redefining Distribution."
CHICAGOLAND hosted a September luncheon program for reps and manufacturers at which Digi-Key executive Paul Dosser was the guest speaker. This was the first in a planned series of presentations by major distributors who will be given the opportunity to report on their companies' current and near-future operations.
EMPIRE STATE ERA sold out all available tee-off slots for its 2007 Debbie Henry Memorial Golf Tournament, held in August. Dave Dasson, CPMR, of Net Sales Company chaired the event. Reps, distributors and guests enjoyed a day on the links and provided generous support for the chapter's annual donation to the American Cancer Society in the name of the late Debbie Henry.
FLORIDA-SUNSHINE ERA sponsored a September program for reps and distributors at which the guest speaker was Tom Dalton, vice president of worldwide sales for Honeywell Sensing and Control. His presentation centered on "Channel Requirements: How Manufacturers' Needs Are Changing to Meet Toady's Global Market Demands."
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA reps attended a chapter-hosted program in late spring with guest speakers Jim Minyard of Data Force CRM and Gordon Mack of Bounty Hunter. A summer dinner event featured a presentation by accountant Terry Lanier. Chapter members wrapped up the summer in August with both a program and a new recreational activity. Jason McVeigh of ThomasNet, the Internet marketing company, was the program speaker, and the new social activity was a bocce ball event.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST ERA again joined forces with the Electronics Manufacturers Association (EMA) to co-sponsor the Seventh Annual OctoberBest Regional High-Tech Conference and Expo. The event was held in September at the Rock Creek Campus of Portland Community College. OctoberBest included exhibits, many technical seminars, two keynote programs, OctoberFest-style food and door prizes. Attendees were urged to bring non-perishable food items for donation to the Oregon Food Bank, and that organization also received all OctoberBest admission fees.
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The Seventh Annual OctoberBest, co-sponsored by Pacific Northwest ERA and the Electronics Manufacturers Association (EMA) was held at Portland Community College in mid-September.
The all-industry trade event benefits the Oregon Food Bank. |
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA members are looking forward to an upcoming dinner program at which the guest speaker will be Dr. Felix Zandman, founder and chairman of Vishay Intertechnology. The Holocaust survivor established Vishay in 1962, and the company is now one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors. Southern Cal's all-industry Sagebrush Social was held in August, and the chapter-owned Southern California Electronics Expo was the highlight event in September. The expo site was the Orange County Fair and Expo Center. Chapter-sponsored Owners' Forums are continuing on a regular basis. The topic in early October was "The Business Part of the Rep Business," and in December, attendees will discuss "Innovative Ways to Make Money."
SOUTHWESTERN ERA has been working recently with the South Korean Trade Association (KOTRA) to bring together South Korean manufacturers with member reps who are interested in selling their products. A survey of rep members was conducted to identify their product line interests, and a late August chapter program was devoted to teaching members how to use KOTRA to identify potential new lines. In another outreach initiative, Southwestern is working with the University of North Texas to help place student interns in member rep firms on either a short- or long-term basis. Earlier this summer, the chapter held its first "Greens Committee" Golf Tournament.
SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS reps are eagerly anticipating the chapter's next Electronics, Engineering and Manufacturing Show, scheduled April 16, 2008, at the St. Charles Convention Center. The Spirit group's annual golf outing for reps and distributors was held in early September, and recent program presentations have been made by executives of STS Technologies, a local design and consulting firm, and Westar Display Technologies, a displays manufacturer.
Chapter presidents and newsletter editors: Are you regularly sending your newsletters, fliers, mailings, etc. to The Representor? Please keep ERA and your fellow members informed of your chapter's activities. Crisp photos are also welcome. For all chapter e-mail
communications, please place Tess Hill (thill@era.org) on your address list.
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2007 Electronics Representatives Association (ERA), Chicago, IL 60611
Originally printed in the Fall 2007 issue of The Representor
Cannot be reprinted without the permission of the Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) |
