ERA PRESS RELEASE
May 16, 2025
Contact: Clare Kluck / Communications Director / ckluck@era.org
The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) announces that CEO Walter Tobin will retire from the association after 10 years.
“After a 10-year career as ERA CEO, with success that cannot be overstated, Walter Tobin has notified us of his intention to retire,” said Tom Griffin, CPMR, President of the ERA Executive Committee. “Whether we measure Walter’s success in membership, revenue growth, ERA Conference attendance, sponsorships, perception in our industry or anything else, Walter has performed beyond our wildest expectations. We are very grateful for his passion and leadership.”
“The ERA Executive Committee has formed a search committee and will work diligently to find a new CEO,” Griffin continued, “and Walter has agreed to continue to serve during this transition period.”
“I have had the distinct pleasure and honor of serving on the ERA Executive Committee for Walter’s entire 10 years as CEO,” said John O’Brien, CPMR, Chairman of the ERA Executive Committee. “His commitment to our Association and its membership has been unparalleled. I am fortunate to not only have had the opportunity to work with Walter, but can call him my friend.”
Throughout Tobin’s tenure as CEO of ERA, he has brought new life into the association, growing its membership and annual Conference attendance by three-fold. He has carried forth fully the association’s mission of advancing the rep function while joining together the “three legs of the stool” – manufacturers’ reps, distributors and manufacturers. He oversaw the implementation of the ERA HoverMap®, SearchLink.ai, the significant growth of ERA’s distributor membership category, the revival of many regional ERA chapters, an ERA podcast, ERA LIVE and the ERA/Edgewater partnership industry survey, among many other initiatives.
ERA’s annual Tobin Bridge award, created and presented for the first time in 2020, was named after Walter and refers to a famous bridge in Boston. It recognizes individuals who successfully “bridge” and unite people across the electronics components industry.
Before joining ERA as CEO, Tobin was an electronics industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and executive/corporate management positions. For nine years prior to joining ERA, he was the corporate vice president of Future Electronics, and prior management positions included 12 years at Pioneer-Standard (acquired in 2003 by Arrow Electronics) and 15 years at Arrow Electronics. He holds both a B.S. and MBA from Boston College and is a former U.S. Army Captain.
Walter looks forward to in retirement spending time at his second home in Cape Cod, golfing, spending time with his wife Janice, his three daughters and sons-in-law and eight grandchildren.
About ERA
The 90-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.