> Mentorship is coming…Announcing MentorUP!

Mentorship is coming…

ERA is thrilled to officially introduce ERA’s new MentorUP program! MentorUP is a strategic initiative designed to support professional development, strengthen connections and foster collaboration across the electronics components industry. By pairing ERA members together, this program will drive learning, build confidence, and spark career momentum.

A massive thank you to Master Electronics for sponsoring this incredible initiative!

Who is MentorUP for?

▪️ Mentees: Early-career talent, rising leaders or anyone taking on new roles who is hungry for guidance, clarity and career growth.
▪️ Mentors: Experienced industry professionals who want to give back, share insights and sharpen their own leadership and coaching skills.

Mark your calendars

Enrollment will open in mid-June; stay tuned for the sign-up link. The first cohort will run July 1 – Dec 31, 2026. How can you help right now? 1.) Start championing this within your teams; 2.) Encourage your high-potential employees to apply and reinforce the value of mentorship and 3.) Consider being a mentor in this program!

Stay tuned for more details…

> ERA Announces 2027 ERA Conference Chair, Co-Chair & Core Committee

ERA PRESS RELEASE
June 3, 2026
Contact: Clare Kluck / Communications Director / ckluck@era.org

ERA Announces 2027 ERA Conference Chair, Co-Chair & Core Committee

ERA is pleased to announce the appointment of the Chair, Co-Chair and 2027 ERA Conference Core Committee leaders responsible for leading the planning of next year’s Conference.

Julie Carr, Vice President, MacInnis Group, will serve as Conference Committee Chair, while Brooks Mattice, Vice President of Sales, Mel Foster Group, will serve as Conference Co-Chair.

The remainder of the 2027 Conference Committee leaders are as follows:

• Keynote/General Session Committee Chairs:
  • Toby Lasley, President, Ion Associates
  • Diana Nawrocki, CPMR, Executive Vice President, Control Sales
  • Maryellen Stack, Vice President of Marketing and Communications and E-Commerce, Sager Electronics
• Breakout Session Committee Chairs:
  • Adam Anderson, CPMR, Vice President, Norris & Associates
  • Scott Lindberg, President, Quell Corporation
  • Holly Myers, Director, Supplier Marketing and Product Management, Sager Electronics
• Sponsorship Committee Chairs:
  • Zach Anderson, President & CEO, Harper and Two
  • Heather D’Amico, CPMR, Vice President, Brainard-Nielsen Marketing
  • Rob DeRose, President, CST-Arwin
• ERA Executive Committee Liaison — Lori Bruno, CPMR, Director of Distribution, Northern California, MaRCTech2
• Conference Advisor — Todd McAtee, Global Chief Revenue Officer, Flip Electronics

“It is a privilege to serve as Chair of the 2027 ERA Conference,” said Carr. “Together with Brooks and our exceptional committee chairs, we are committed to delivering an unforgettable event that inspires, motivates and drives meaningful value for every attendee.”

“With a committee of this caliber, we aren’t just planning another event—we are shaping a definitive industry experience that will resonate for years to come,” said Mattice.

The 2027 ERA Conference will be ERA’s 58th national conference and will take place at the Hilton Austin Downtown on February 21-23, 2027.

ERA plans to announce the Conference theme and attendee/sponsorship registration this summer.

About ERA

The 91-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.

> ERA Quick Connections — May 2026, Vol. 2

May 2026, Vol. 2

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MONTHLY POS REPORTS

March 2026 was the highest POS month in the past two years, with POS activity being 13 percent higher than March 2025. The first quarter of 2026 was also 13 percent ahead of 2025Q1. March is always a good reporting month and it certainly did not disappoint this year. We have seen an excellent start for the year and expect solid growth for the remainder of the year. April numbers usually far short of March’s, but we don’t anticipate much of a difference based on 1st quarter performance.

See the full chart and report. 

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INDUSTRY NEWS

> The reported preliminary agreement between Apple and Intel for Intel to manufacture some Apple-designed chips could reshape U.S. chip manufacturing. Read more.

> American invented the printed circuit board — now we only make 4 percent of them. Why? Listen to more on this The Manufacturing Report podcast.

> The class of 2026 are your new hires and need help building an internal compass for resilience, adaptability and flexibility. How can you help them do this? Read more.

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ERA NEWS

> ERA is thrilled to officially introduce ERA’s new MentorUP program! MentorUP is a strategic initiative designed to support professional development, strengthen connections and foster collaboration across the electronics components industry. By pairing ERA members together, this program will drive learning, build confidence and spark career momentum. Thank you to Master Electronics for sponsoring this incredible initiative!

Who is MentorUP for? ERA Member Mentees: Early-career talent, rising leaders or anyone taking on new roles who is hungry for guidance, clarity and career growth. ERA Member Mentors: Experienced industry professionals who want to give back, share insights and sharpen their own leadership and coaching skills.

Mark your calendars:

• Enrollment opens: Mid-June (Stay tuned for the sign-up link!)
• First cohort runs: July 1 – Dec 31, 2026
• Encourage your high-potential employees to apply to be a mentee or…Consider being a mentor in this program!

Stay tuned for more details!

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> The Spring 2026 Issue of The Representor is LIVE! The latest edition of The Representor magazine — featuring the EDS Showcase section — is officially here, and it is packed with the insights, recaps and industry expertise you need to stay ahead in the electronics world.

Don’t miss: the cover story: “Why manufacturers’ representatives still win: access, influence and the myth of control”, the EDS Showcase, a 2026 ERA Conference Recap, Executive Commentary, Q&A Spotlights… plus our legal and tax columns, chapter news and more! Read the issue online.

 

 

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CHAPTER EVENTS & NEWS

Northern California ERA — 3rd Annual Golf Event Benefiting Special Olympics — Wed., June 10

Minnesota ERA — Networking Event feat. Speakers Dave Doherty & Eddie Smith — Wed., June 17

Metro NY ERA — Steve Alford Memorial Golf Outing – Mon., June 22

Chesapeake ERA — TopGolf Networking Event — Tues., June 23

Chicagoland-Wisconsin ERA — Summerfest Outing — Thurs., June 25

Southern California ERA — Mix & Mingle Social— Monday, July 13

Pacific-Northwest ERA — Save the Date: Golf Tournament – Fri., Aug. 21

Southern California ERA — Annual Golf Tournament — Mon., Aug. 31

ERA Bulletin Board

Join ERA Today

Industry Calendar

> ERA Quick Connections — May 2026, Vol. 1

May 2026, Vol. 1

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MANUFACTURING DATA REPORTS

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in April for the fourth straight month, says the latest ISM® Manufacturing PMI® Report.

The computer and electronic products sector, and the electrical equipment, appliances & components sector, both reported growth. Read the full report.

 

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INDUSTRY NEWS

> Oregon-based Lattice Semiconductor said Monday it is buying a Georgia tech company called AMI for $1.65 billion in cash and stock, a deal the Oregon company said will improve its products for data centers and artificial intelligence. Read more.

> A new Trump executive order could reshape retirement savings for those who don’t have access to an employer-sponsored plan. Read more.

> You may think of your to-do list as overwhelming and tedious— like a debt you need to pay off. Reframing your to-do list as credit-building and a way to move forward can radically change your perspective and energize you. Read more.

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ERA NEWS

> The EDS Summit will be here soon!

Make sure the ERA Business Center in the Lily Ballroom is your home base. Stop by to: chat with the ERA National Staff and visit with our Recognized Resource providers; grab the special EDS Lines Available edition; pick up your ERA member ribbon; and enjoy some refreshments and a quiet place to connect.

*Note from the EDS Show Corp: EDS badges can be picked up beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 18 at the registration desk. Be sure to build in time for this process so that it does not impact your meeting schedule. As a reminder, everyone in the event area must display an EDS 2026 badge at all times. Please refer to the EDS Badge Policy for more information.

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> Join us for the next ERA LIVE on Tuesday, May 12 at 4:00 p.m. ET where we will dive deep into the new rules of Google and AI search and visibility! Experts from G&G Creative NYC will break down how modern SEO, intentional content and site design work together to fuel your digital marketing engine.

What we’ll cover: why original expertise is the new SEO gold mine; how to attract the right audience, not just a bigger one; turning site structure and messaging into a lead-generation machine. Join us to learn exactly what you need to change to start seeing real results.

See you there! More info & log-in details.

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> ERA is pleased to announce the addition of Zenode, an AI-driven component search platform, to its list of Recognized Resource vendor partners.

Electronics sales representatives often spend hours manually cross-referencing customer bills of materials (BOMs) against their represented lines. This complex evaluation traditionally requires days of back-and-forth communication with engineers. Zenode’s Alts tool performs comprehensive part comparisons in approximately one minute per component, providing sourced documentation for immediate engineering review.

Read the full press release. Visit zenode.ai.

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CHAPTER EVENTS & NEWS

• Indiana-Kentucky ERA — Day at the Track — Thurs., May 14
• Florida Sunshine ERA — Annual In-Person DTAM Presentation — Thurs., May 14
• New England ERA — Young Professionals Networking Event — Thurs., May 28
• Northern California ERA — 3rd Annual Golf Event Benefiting Special Olympics — Wed., June 10
• Minnesota ERA — Networking Event feat. Speakers Dave Doherty & Eddie Smith — Wed., June 17
• Metro NY ERA — Steve Alford Memorial Golf Outing – Mon., June 22
• Chicagoland-Wisconsin ERA — Summerfest Outing — Thurs., June 25
• Pacific-Northwest ERA — Save the Date: Golf Tournament – Fri., Aug. 21

 

ERA Bulletin Board

Join ERA Today

Industry Calendar

> ERA Welcomes Zenode as New Recognized Resource Partner

ERA PRESS RELEASE
May 1, 2026
Contact: Clare Kluck / Communications Director / ckluck@era.org

View/download in PDF version

ERA Welcomes Zenode as New Recognized Resource Partner

The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) is pleased to announce the addition of Zenode, an AI-driven component search platform, to its list of Recognized Resource vendor partners.

In an industry where speed is critical, electronics sales representatives often spend hours manually cross-referencing customer bills of materials (BOMs) against their represented lines. This complex evaluation—which involves comparing technical specifications, pinouts, footprints and functional differences—traditionally requires days of back-and-forth communication with engineers.

Zenode is set to transform this workflow with its upcoming Alts tool, debuting on May 5. The tool performs comprehensive part comparisons in approximately one minute per component, providing sourced documentation for immediate engineering review.

“We are thrilled to be the newest ERA Recognized Resource and trusted vendor to ERA members,” said Brandon Bourn, CEO of Zenode. “We’re confident our AI-driven tools can give reps the answers they need on parts quickly and accurately. Our tools don’t replace the rep’s relationships or judgment, it gives them a faster, more accurate way to show up with the answer.”

“We welcome Zenode on board to our esteemed list of ERA vendor partners,” said Eddie Smith, ERA CEO. “Zenode offers a strong, AI-based components search platform that helps engineers and salespeople conduct comprehensive cross-reference evaluation in minutes instead of days. This is a significant value-add for our members.”

Visit zenode.ai for more information.

About ERA

The 91-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.

> ERA Quick Connections – April 2026, Vol. 2

April 2026, Vol. 2

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MONTHLY POS REPORTS

February 2026 POS activity far exceeded expectations, actually running ahead of January numbers by 3 percent and last February’s POS number by nearly 20 percent. February was the largest POS month since April of last year. February is generally a lower number due to the shortened month, however this activity was significantly above expectations.

Read full report.

 

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INDUSTRY NEWS

> Finance and banking leaders from around the globe raise concerns with Anthropic’s new Mythos AI model. Read more.

> Being a leader is harder than ever. Here are 5 common pressure points for leaders and how to handle them. Read more.

> A 2024 study found that readers preferred content labeled as “human-generated” by 30 percent over content labeled as created by AI. Here are four ways your writing sounds “too AI” and how to fix it — read more.

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INDUSTRY SURVEY RESULTS

The April 2026 ERA Electronic Components Industry Trend Survey is now closed.

View results from 2024-2026.

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ERA NEWS

> The EDS Summit will be here in less than 4 weeks.

Download the EDS 2026 app for EDS info on the go — The app is available for both Android and iOS and has the complete public EDS schedule, the Matchmaking utility and more. To download, search “EDS 2026” in your phone’s app store.

New this year — EDS After Dark on Tuesday night from 9 p.m. – midnight in Perdana Gardens. This is a great opportunity to continue dinner conversations or meet up with colleagues after your evening events in an exclusive EDS space. Mark your calendars!

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> ERA’s SearchLink.ai has a fresh new look and powerful upgrades designed to streamline your workflow and bring more value to your daily sales operations. We’ve integrated several new tools to help you work smarter:

• ERA GPT: Think ChatGPT, but specifically tailored for ERA members.
• The Prompt Writer: A great prompt is the key to a great result.
• Contract Analyzer: Review documents faster than ever.
• Enhanced Search: Our Key Contacts search now features Export functionality, Relevance Score ratings and Find Email buttons directly on the results page.
• Company Search: Now includes full export capabilities.

— Watch the New Tutorial Video

— Access SearchLink.ai and try it for yourself!

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> The new ERA Career Center Hub is an online resource for companies, early-career professionals and students exploring the world of manufacturers’ reps and the electronics components sales industry. You’ll find internship information; recruiting tips: where to find new hires; resources to understand the landscape (for early-career folks and students, what does a manufacturers’ rep do?) a job board…and more! We’ll be updating and adding new content regularly.

Visit the Career Center Hub!

 

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CHAPTER EVENTS & NEWS

Indiana-Kentucky ERA — Day at the Track — Thurs., May 14

New England ERA — Young Professionals Networking Event — Thurs., May 28

Northern California ERA — 3rd Annual Golf Event Benefiting Special Olympics — Wed., June 10

Minnesota ERA — Networking Event feat. Speakers Dave Doherty & Eddie Smith — Wed., June 17

Metro NY ERA — Steve Alford Memorial Golf Outing – Mon., June 22

Chicagoland-Wisconsin ERA — Summerfest Outing — Thurs., June 25

Pacific-Northwest ERA — Save the Date: Golf Tournament – Fri., Aug. 21

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> ERA Announces the Recipients of the 2026 Mark Motsinger White Pin Internships

ERA PRESS RELEASE
April 1, 2026
Contact: Clare Kluck / Communications Director / ckluck@era.org

ERA Announces the Recipients of the 2026 Mark Motsinger White Pin Internships

ERA announces six internships for the summer of 2026

The ERA White Pin group is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Mark Motsinger White Pin Internships:

• Maya Gabbi, Chapman University — Ion Associates (Texas)
• Olivia Burchstead, University of Kansas — Cover 2 Sales (Maryland)
• Taedra Tsecaris, University of Connecticut — John E. Boeing Co. (New Hampshire)
• Mary Coakley, University of Massachusetts at Amherst — Coakley Boyd & Abbett (Massachusetts)
• Erik Timbo, University of St. Thomas — Cain-Forlaw Co. (Illinois)
• Gabrielle Tully, Milwaukee School of Engineering — Brainard-Nielsen Marketing (Illinois)

This is the fifth year that the ERA White Pin Group and ERA National have partnered to award internships to manufacturers’ representative firms in various regions of North America to help hire and onboard college students as interns during the summer or academic year.

“We are excited to welcome this cohort of summer 2026 interns and congratulate the rep firm recipients,” said Kingsland Coombs, CPMR, CSP, senior vice president at large for the ERA Executive Committee and chair of the White Pin Group. “These interns will bring a wealth of new ideas and raw potential that will spark innovation within our rep firms. I look forward to seeing the growth and valuable insights that will come from this collaboration.”

“We are thrilled to be awarding six internships for the summer of 2026,” stated Lori Bruno, CPMR, senior vice president of education for the ERA Executive Committee. “It’s rewarding to see our mission of advocating for the manufacturers’ representative role and cultivating young talent come to life. We look forward to building on this momentum and becoming even stronger!”

ERA launched the Mark Motsinger White Pin Internship program in 2022 as a way to help the rep community introduce the rep model to college students and attract, hire and retain young people to keep the electronics industry fresh and relevant. The program allows rising college juniors or seniors to work for a manufacturers’ representative firm over the summer months to gain a better understanding and hands-on experience of the electronic components industry.

The internship program was named after Mark Motsinger, president of Wallace Electronic Sales, who served as executive director of the ERA White Pin group for more than 16 years. Motsinger helped to define the educational role of the White Pin group and helped promote the hiring and onboarding of new college graduates into our industry.

Please join ERA in congratulating all the rep companies and interns!

Read more information about the ERA Mark Motsinger White Pin Internship program.

About ERA
The 91-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.

> ERA Grants Life Member Recognition to Five Members

In February 2026 at the national ERA Conference, ERA awarded Life Membership recognition to Carol Cohen (Indiana-Kentucky), George DeVoe (Indiana-Kentucky), John Latimer (Northern California), Mark Conley (Northern California) and Clark Moulthrop (Northern California).

ERA congratulates these five individuals on their Life Member status and recognizes the extraordinary time, talent and effort they have dedicated to ERA and the manufacturers’ rep function within the electronics industry.

ERA Life Members are individuals who have been employed by or associated with one or more firms as members in good standing of the association (regular, at-large or international) during a 20-year period, and are nominated by fellow chapter members at biannual ERA Board meetings.

View a complete list of all Life Members.

> Tobi Cornell, CPMR, is Named Senior Vice President of Membership on ERA’s Executive Committee

ERA PRESS RELEASE
March 24, 2025
Contact: Clare Kluck / Communications Director / ckluck@era.org

The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) announces that Tobi Cornell, CPMR, President of Kruvand Associates, has joined the ERA Executive Committee as the Senior Vice President of Membership.

“ERA is very pleased to have Tobi Cornell join the Executive Committee as the new Senior Vice President of Membership,” said John O’Brien, CPMR, Chairman of the Board. “As president of a large and successful rep firm in Texas, and with many years of experience volunteering in this industry — including leading one of our main chapters — we know Tobi will champion the manufacturers’ rep function and work to foster the continued success of ERA membership during her tenure.”

Tobi Cornell graduated from Texas Christian University in 1994 with BBA, and entered the electronics industry that same year working for manufacturers’ rep firm, DJ Sales (Dallas, TX). Tobi worked in inside sales covering the Houston market for 2 ½ years, and then moved into outside sales in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area for DJ Sales. In 1998, manufacturers’ rep firm Kruvand Associates acquired DJ Sales, and Tobi took on the distribution manager role, in addition to account responsibility. She continued to work in that capacity for 17 years, and was named vice president of distribution in 2015. Tobi continued fostering and growing close relationships with Kruvand’s manufacturers, channel partners and customers in her market, and was honored to be named president of Kruvand in 2023. Tobi also currently serves as president of ERA’s Southwest chapter.

“I’m honored to join the ERA Executive Committee and excited to strengthen the membership sector of ERA,” said Cornell. “ERA provides a unique, indispensable value to its members, and I look forward to amplifying that message and spearheading initiatives that drive our collective, long-term success.”

The updated list of officers on the Executive Committee are:

Chairman of the Board – John O’Brien, CPMR
President – Tom Griffin, CPMR
Sr. Vice President Fiscal & Legal – John Hutson, CPMR
Sr. Vice President Industry – Ellen Coan, CPMR
Sr. Vice President Education – Lori Bruno, CPMR
Sr. Vice President Membership — Tobi Cornell, CPMR
Sr. Vice President at Large – Kingsland Coombs, CPMR
Sr. Vice President Manufacturers – John Guetens
Sr. Vice President Distributors – Lou Copley
Sr. Vice President at Large — Ken Bellero
Chief Executive Officer — Ed Smith

About ERA

The 91-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 wh

> Introducing: The Online ERA Career Center Hub

ERA is excited to announce the launch of the brand-new online Career Center Hub!

This hub will be an ever-evolving resource for companies, early-career professionals and students exploring the world of manufacturers’ reps and the electronics components sales industry.

At the Career Center Hub, you’ll find:

• Internship Info — Learn about ERA’s summer internship program for rep firms and view internship training guidelines
• Recruiting Tips: How and where to find new hires
• Understand the Landscape: For early-career folks and students, learn exactly what a manufacturers’ rep does and how it fits into the broader electronics components industry
• Job Board: A dedicated space to browse open positions within our network. (Members—please send us your open position postings!)

…and more! We’ll be updating and adding new content regularly.

Visit the Career Center Hub

Companies/rep firms: Please send open employment positions/postings to Karin Derkacz at kderkacz@era.org. You may post anonymously as well.

> Congratulations, 2026 ERA Award Winners!

ERA is proud to announce all of its esteemed award winners, honored at the 2026 ERA Conference in Austin, Texas, in February. 

-The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient was Walter Tobin, former ERA CEO.
-The Tobin Bridge Award recipient was Scott Lindberg, President, Quell Corporation.
-The Tess Hill Award recipient was Lori Bruno, CPMR, Vice President Distributon & Channel Manager, LuscomBridge
-The Jess Spoonts White Pin Award & Scholarship recipient was Jeff May, President, Logix Sales & Marketing. 
-The Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award recipient was John Hutson, CPMR, President, Macinnis Group.
-A new inductee to the ERA Hall of Fame was Dave Norris, President, Norris Associates. 

These individuals were all recognized for their many years of leadership, professionalism and integrity in fulfilling ERA’s mission of advancing the manufacturers’ representative function in this industry. Thank you for your time, dedication and passion. Congratulations!

A

Above: Walter Tobin accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Scott Lindberg receives the Tobin Bridge Award.

Lori Bruno, CPMR, accepts the Tess Hill Award.

John Hutson, CPMR, receives the Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award.

Dave Norris is inducted into the ERA Hall of Fame.