> 2019 Jess Spoonts – ERA White Pin Scholarship Awarded
Feb. 14, 2020
Source: Electronics Representatives Association
The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) White Pin Group has announced that Greg Thompson, CPMR, of the Charlotte-based SACS Inc. is the 2019 recipient of the Jess Spoonts – ERA White Pin Scholarship Award. Thompson will receive a $1,000 grant that can be used to fund his continuing education as a professional field sales representative. Thompson was nominated for the honor by White Pin member Bruce Scoggin, CPMR, of Electro-Rep Assoc. Inc.
To qualify for this award, nominees must be from an ERA member rep firm; must have been involved in ERA activities and leadership roles on the local and/or national levels for a minimum of two years; and must be willing to devote significant volunteer time to ERA in the foreseeable future.
ERA White Pin Coordinator Mark Motsinger, CPMR, of Wallace Electronic Sales, said, “Greg Thompson exemplifies the unselfish volunteerism that is at the heart of the Jess Spoonts Scholarship award. Greg has been and remains tireless and generous in his efforts at the chapter level for ERA. The grassroots effort and passion shown by Greg ensure that ERA will continue to bring value to the electronics industry at the local level while advancing the professional field sales function for the benefit of our customers and manufacturers.”
When notified of the award, Thompson commented, “I was pleased and honored to hear that I have been selected to receive this prestigious award. I believe it is a reflection on the continued success of our chapter [Carolinas ERA] as we strive to serve and influence our market. Thank you for this recognition!”
Thompson will receive the award at the 2020 White Pin Group Reunion, to be held on Feb. 23 at the 2020 ERA Conference in Austin, Texas.
The ERA White Pin Group was formed in 1960 and is comprised of member reps who have held volunteer leadership positions at the national level of ERA for at least two years and have given extraordinary amounts of time and talent to ERA. The group established the Jess Spoonts – ERA White Pin Scholarship in 2006 to honor its long-time coordinator, the late E. Jess Spoonts of Dallas, Texas. Spoonts, a half-century veteran of the electronics industry, was a past president and chairman of ERA, a mentor to countless reps and other business associates, and one of only 23 members of the association’s Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2008.
This year’s judging panel for the award was comprised of these previous award recipients: Ellen Coan, CPMR, of C C Electro Sales; Bob Evans, CPMR, of EK Micro; Rich Hobby, CPMR, of RAH Associates; Jeff Huntsinger of Huntsinger Associates LLC; Holly Myers, CPMR, of Genie Group; Buzz Reynolds, CSP, of Performance Technical Sales; Bruce Scoggin, CPMR, of Electro-Rep Associates; ERA White Pin Coordinator, Mark Motsinger, CPMR, of Wallace Electronic Sales, and ERA CEO, Walter Tobin.
About ERA
The 85-year-old Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) is the international trade organization for professional field sales companies in the global electronics industries, manufacturers who go to market through representative firms and global distributors. It is the mission of ERA to support the professional field sales function through programs and activities that educate, inform and advocate for manufacturers’ representatives, the principals they represent and the distributors who are reps’ partners in local territories. For more information about ERA, visit era.org.