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Speaker Information
Ellen Albright, Marketing & Communications Director, E-T-A Circuit Breakers
Panelist – Digital Marketing: Cutting-Edge Techniques to Help You Up Your Game
Ellen Albright joined E-T-A Circuit Breakers in 2003. In her role as marketing and communications director, she focuses on all North American marketing activities including new product introductions, website management, digital advertising, events and social media. She manages E-T-A’s marketing tech stack which includes Marketo marketing automation platform to support activities like lead nurturing, lead scoring, automated lead routing and much more. Over the past two years, she has added additional tools to the stack to improve digital customer engagement including Outreach Sales Engagement Platform and a custom built interactive virtual sample kit. Outside of the office, Ellen volunteers her time to support non-profit organizations that implement marketing strategies. She is also the proud mom to a very energetic 7-year-old daughter and a 1-year old COVID puppy.
Heather D’Amico, Marketing Manager, Brainard-Nielsen Marketing
Panelist – Digital Marketing: Cutting-Edge Techniques to Help You Up Your Game
Heather D’Amico is the marketing manager at Brainard-Nielsen Marketing, a manufacturers’ rep firm specializing in the sales of electro-mechanical components serving Illinois and Wisconsin. Prior to joining BNM in 2020, Heather previously worked for manufacturing companies, including OTTO Engineering. Her experience working for manufacturers provides insight on how sales reps must proactively market target customers. As the creative director at BNM, Heather develops and executes in-territory marketing strategies for the manufacturers on BNM’s line card. She is thrilled any time a marketing effort can help open the door for her sales team to meet with a customer and find new opportunities. Heather has an M.B.A. from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. She is eager to begin her Certified Professional Manufacturers’ Rep (CPMR) certification in January 2023. In 2010, Heather helped co-found the Michael P. Savoca Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness and funds for pulmonary fibrosis.
Charlene DeCesare, Senior Consultant, RAIN Group
Presenter – Tips & Tricks on Setting Appointments with Emails, LinkedIn, & Referrals
Presenter – What Sales Winners Do Differently!
Charlene DeCesare is a senior consultant for RAIN Group and trusted sales advisor who has been helping teams develop a relationship-based approach to selling high-value services for 25 years. She co-founded the multi-million-dollar company, EdAssist, now owned by Bright Horizons. Prior to that, DeCesare spent 10 years at Gartner leading an international sales team and helping the most respected technology companies in the world extend their brand message. DeCesare was also a membership growth leader at the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), and the vice president of sales and marketing at Boardroom Events. She has a B.S. in communications from Emerson College and an M.B.A. in sales and marketing from Rivier University. DeCesare is a professional member of the National Speakers Association and a nationally certified Brain-Based Success coach. Recently, DeCesare also attained the national-level credential of Certified Sales Leader (CSL).
Kevin Flaherty, Regional Sales Manager, Ohmite Manufacturing
Panelist – Bridging the Gap: Relationship Building and Collaboration in a Multi-Generational Workforce
Tom Galligani, Global Vice President, Supply Chain, Future Electronics
Panelist – Value-Based Selling: How to Sell More by Competing on Value, Not Price
Tim Kilfoil, President, JF Kilfoil Company
Moderator – Digital Marketing: Cutting-Edge Techniques to Help You Up Your Game
Mark LaPointe, VP of The Americas & Global Distribution, SMC Diode Solutions
Panelist – Value-Based Selling: How to Sell More by Competing on Value, Not Price
Brooks Mattice, CPMR, General Mangaer, TMC – A Mel Foster Co.
Moderator – Bridging the Gap: Relationship Building and Collaboration in a Multi-Generational Workforce
Brooks Mattice is the General Manager of TMC, a manufacturers’ representative based in Indianapolis covering the Eastern Great Lakes Region of MI, IN, KY, OH, Western PA, and WV. A division of Mel Foster Company, TMC focuses on high tech products – semiconductors, interconnect, passive electronics, electro-mechanical components, electronic systems, and services. Brooks graduated from Purdue University in 1995 with a BSEE Degree and has been with TMC ever since. Today, in addition to maintaining account responsibility, he manages the division’s day-to-day operations, and especially enjoys coaching and developing the team at TMC. He graduated from MRERF’s Certified Professional Manufacturers’ Representative (CPMR) program in January 2022.
Michael Pedone, Founder & CEO, Salesbuzz.com
Presenter – Engagement Selling: How to Warm Call with Confidence
Michael Pedone founded SalesBuzz.com in 2008 to help inside sales reps gain confidence when selling over the phone. Michael founded an SEO company in 2002, which he sold to a European marketing giant in 2007, GetUpdated, before founding SalesBuzz. Before starting his own business, Michael worked as a top straight commission inside sales representative for several organizations.
Rachel Rieser, Field Sales Representative, Sager Electronics
Panelist – Bridging the Gap: Relationship Building and Collaboration in a Multi-Generational Workforce
Rachel currently lives in San Diego, Calif., and has been with Sager Electronics since March 2022 as a field sales representative for the San Diego territory.
Rachel started her sales career in distribution at Bisco Industries learning the logistics and brokering side of the industry. While there, Rachel quickly learned she wanted to be more actively involved on the engineering and design side of the business which opened the door to working with more board level components and interconnects.
After Bisco, Rachel worked at Projections Unlimited, Inc., in a hybrid role of both inside and outside sales. PUI is a regional distributor specializing in passive, electron-mechanical, interconnect and actives.
Jane Siegler, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management, Butler University – Lacy School of Business
Dr. Janaina Siegler, or simply Jane, is a tenure track professor of Operations and Supply Chain Analytics at the Lacy School of Business, Butler University. She holds a Ph.D. in operations and supply chain management from FGV in Brazil and Indiana University, Indiana. As a college professor for more than fifteen years, Jane has taught thousands of undergraduate and graduate in Brazil, U.S., India and Europe. As a consultant and an entrepreneur herself, Jane has had the opportunity to live and breathe the challenges of the concepts she teaches. Because of her background, Jane is a firm believer that “to teach business to future business leaders, one must engage with the business, both in our backyard and around the world.” Her research interests include supply chain resiliency, buyer and supplier relationships, business clusters and technologies related to supply chain. Dr. Siegler has a special collaboration with the automotive and logistics industry in the Midwest. She has presented her research at dozens of conferences in different parts of the world and her research has appeared in several peer-reviewed journals such as the IJPE, RAC and IJLSM, among others.
Jennifer Smith, Ph.D., President, JMS Synergy
Presenter – Pre-Call Sales Planning: How To Get Great At It To Increase Your Opportunities & Win More Sales
Jennifer Smith, Ph.D., president, JMS Synergy, is an organizational behavior consultant with 33 years of experience in the global manufacturing sector of the electronic component industry. She has extensive knowledge and experience in the design, creation and delivery of training programs, workshops and coaching that aid in organizational talent development and culture change. Most recently, she developed a “Build Your Brand” curriculum which heightens awareness of one’s skills, abilities and behaviors while pinpointing opportunities for growth and development. In 2019, Jennifer was asked to manage the Spark programs for the electronic component industry. She, along with a designated team of Spark council members, determines the program curriculum, identifies speakers and coordinates the delivery of programs to educate the next generation of industry leaders.
Jennifer holds a Ph.D. of philosophy in organizational development and behavior, and a graduate degree in organizational behavior. She is an active member of The National Academy of Management, The Midwest Academy of Management and the OD Network. She is a published academic in the Benedictine University Graduate Business School’s adjunct faculty, where she educates graduate students in organizational behavior.
Hunter Starr, CPMR, CPSC, Territory Manager, Performance Technical Sales
Panelist – Bridging the Gap: Relationship Building and Collaboration in a Multi-Generational Workforce
Starr was born and raised in Raleigh, N.C. Growing up, Starr’s father was a long-time manufacturers’ rep who would eventually start his own firm. Starr attended East Carolina University and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. Starr went to work for Performance Technical Sales as a territory manager in 2016. Starr covers Central and Eastern North Carolina and South Carolina. Starr has always been fascinated with how things work, so working as a manufacturers’ rep has been exciting, interesting and fun!
Chuck Tanzola, VP of Business Development, Fusion Sourcing Group
Panelist – Value-Based Selling: How to Sell More by Competing on Value, Not Price
Chuck Tanzola has been a manufacturers’ representative since graduating from Cornell University in 1981, with roles encompassing distribution management, OEM account sales and operations management. He is currently a partner and vice president of business development for the Fusion Sourcing Group, a multi-territory manufacturers’ representative firm based in the Northeast, created through the 2004 merger of the R.E. Breuer Co. and Bob Dean, Inc.
Chuck is also a member of the ERA Executive Committee and serves as Chairman of the Board of ERA National, as well as serving on the EDS Show Corporation Board of Directors; currently in the role of vice president.
At Cornell, Chuck earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and studied electrical engineering in a dual degree program. He was a member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity and served in numerous roles on the KDR Alumni Board after graduation.
Rob Tavi, CEO, IBS Electronics Group
Panelist – Digital Marketing: Cutting-Edge Techniques to Help You Up Your Game
Rob Tavi is a graduate of California State University-Long Beach with a master’s degree in business administration and the CEO of IBS Electronics Group, a top 50 global distributor providing bespoke supply chain management. Tavi’s expertise in quality assurance, supply chain management, manufacturing and technology, combined with his leadership in the global deployment of Lean Six Sigma, has enabled IBS to provide a competitive advantage to its customers by improving time-to-market, scalability and efficiency.
Leveraging his skillset as a thought leader in addition to a mamba mentality mindset, he strives to continuously improve to be the best version of himself as the leading visionary for IBS. As an innovator born into the electronics manufacturing industry’s technology revolution, Tavi has expanded IBS over the past two decades from its HQ office in California to operations with offices in 12 countries from Asia to the Americas, generating over $80 million in annual revenue.
Dedicated to empowering personal and professional branding, Tavi aims to rehumanize B2B engagement using digital technologies and marketing to bridge the gap between traditional sales marketing and future opportunities within our modern manufacturing world.
Rob Tavi is the creator and mastermind behind Real Talk, a podcast that came to life by sharing experiences in business and life to inspire and engage people from around the world by telling a story.
Sannah Vinding, Digital Marketing Director, Micro Commercial Components
Presenter – Effective Communication: It’s More Than Just Talking!
Sannah Vinding is an engineer, B2B marketing strategist, and innovative leader who delivers practical and proven customer-centric go-to-marketing strategies specifically in the electronics manufacturing industry. Sannah is the digital marketing director at Micro Commercial Components and has 20+ years of experience in B2B marketing, product and process innovation within consumer electronics, and the global human-machine interface industry. She is forward-thinking with a proven track record of driving results in revenue, margins, customer acquisition, global market penetration and new product launches. Sannah has diverse industry knowledge within the semiconductor, electronics and medical industries. In addition, she is adept at transforming business data into profitable realities through marketing campaigns, project management and cross-functional team leadership.
Bryan White, CPMR, VP of Sales, Catalyst Unity Solutions
Moderator – Value-Based Selling: How to Sell More by Competing on Value, Not Price
Bryan White, CPMR, joined Catalyst Unity Solutions, in 2011 as a sales engineer, before moving to his current role of vice president of sales five years ago. White has 20+ years of sales experience, in a wide range of industries including pharmaceutical and construction materials. He enjoys managing the day-to-day sales at large corporations along with leading his sales team to further growth and success, and excels at developing and managing the relationships at all levels of the buying process. Using these sales skills along with the skills obtained in earning his CPMR, he continues to help Catalyst Unity Solutions grow and expand. White graduated from the University of Toledo with a bachelor of science degree.