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ERA Water Cooler Teleconferences

Each quarter at 4:00 p.m. ET … NO NEED TO REGISTER

This teleconference series provides an open forum to both ERA members and non-members. Participants can join in on the conversation and contribute to different topics by sharing challenges that ALL of us face today.

These calls are facilitated by ERA CEO Walter Tobin and will be targeted for 1 hour in duration.

The next Water Cooler will be held Tues., Dec. 13 at 4:00 p.m. EDT.

ADD TO CALENDAR

Topic: 2023 ERA Conference Program Preview – What to Expect

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO

Guest speakers: Adam Anderson, CPMR, Norris & Associates Inc.; Joe Braun, CPMR, EK Micro; Lori Bruno, Luscombe Engineering of San Francisco; Ellen Coan, CPMR, CC Electro Sales, Inc.; John Guetens, E-T-A Engineering Technology; Jeff May, Logix Sales & Marketing; Amy Rooney, RFMW, Ltd.; Gary Smith, CPMR, G.L. Smith Associates, Inc.; Maryellen Stack, Sager Electronics; Dave Winner, CPMR, SACS, Inc.; Tom Wichert, TDK-Lambda Americas

This ERA Water Cooler session brings together the 2023 ERA Conference planning committee volunteers who will provide a comprehensive preview of the upcoming annual conference, which will take place Feb. 26-28 in Austin, Texas.

Discussion topics will include:

· Benefits of attending the conference

· Conference schedule and what to expect

· Keynote, general and breakout sessions topics and speaker overview

· Sponsorship options

· Networking opportunities

· Q&A

No need to register! We look forward to seeing you online.

For additional details or questions, or suggestions for topics, please contact Erin Collins at ecollins@era.org.

Teleconference Participation Information

Join the ERA Water Cooler on Zoom

https://zoom.us/j/92909245186?pwd=WFJUT2ZyWmFLcXVoMnZCTHpUM0JzQT09

Meeting ID: 929 0924 5186
Passcode: 125796

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Water Cooler Audio Library

Miss the last call? Listen to past Water Cooler conferences in our Audio Library:

Sept. 13, 2022 – audio recording

Electronics Industry Economic Outlook

With Walter Tobin, CEO of ERA, moderating, guest speaker Bill Wiseman, senior partner at McKinsey & Co., discusses:

> Latest perspectives on current trends impacting global supply chains.
> Potential mitigation strategies and long-term moves that companies have begun to use to address current supply chain challenges.
> Assessment of the climate for the electronics space as we transition from allocation to inflation to recession.

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June 21, 2022 – audio recording

Reviewing and Refreshing Your Portfolio

When was the last time you reviewed your portfolio? What might need to be refreshed? Why is it important to keep assessing and refining your portfolio? Join this ERA Water Cooler when we’ll be discussing tips on how best to evaluate your portfolio and how that can help you to identify new business opportunities on the horizon.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, CEO, ERA
Guest Speaker: Robert Derringer, Director, Global Channel, Crouzet North America; Phil Meiss, Partner, Victory Sales; Uma Pingali, President, Newark Electronics

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May 17, 2022 – audio recording

Succession Planning: The Upsides, Downsides and Making it Work

Do you have a succession plan in place? This Water Cooler session features guest speaker Bryan Shirley and will focus on why a formal succession plan is a necessity to your company’s larger defined strategic vision. Discussion topics include:

· When should you put a succession plan in place?

· What should a succession plan include?

· What challenges can arise when announcing a succession plan?

· How can a succession plan help with your business’ continuity?

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, CEO, ERA
Guest Speaker: Bryan Shirley, BCS Consulting

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April 26, 2022 – audio recording

Promoting and Expanding the Manufacturer’s Rep Model: What is Different Now and Perhaps Forever?

Join this Water Cooler session for a deeper dive of this highly-rated breakout session that was presented at the 2022 ERA Conference. If you missed this breakout session, or just need a refresher, now is your chance to join this dynamic conversation on a very timely topic. Attendees can anticipate gaining insights into the potential opportunity for manufacturers’ rep expansion and manufacturers expectations. Reps will learn how best to position their organization with their current, and potential, principals. This panel of experts will provide the opportunity to learn what you can do to ensure the manufacturers’ rep sales model continues to thrive.

Facilitator: Cesare Giammarco, Consultant, Cesare Giammarco Sales Management Consulting LLC
Co-facilitators: Dave Foster,Director of Sales at Ohmite Manufacturing; Tom Wichert, Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing at TDK-Lambda Americas

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March 29, 2022 – audio recording

EDS 2022 Summit Preview

The 2022 EDS Summit is right around the corner! Let’s face it; we are all looking forward to this event, excited to reconnect in-person, share ideas and build relationships. Join this Water Cooler session, featuring several members of the ERA Executive Committee, to get prepared, learn what’s new this year and gain insights on how to make the most out of your EDS experience.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-facilitators: Ken Bellero, President, Schaffner EMC, Inc.; Robert Logan, President, Kruvand Associates; Chuck Tanzola, Vice President of Business Development, Fusion Sourcing Group

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March 15, 2022 – audio recording

Effective Time Management Skills for Selling in a Hybrid World

We’ve all experienced this: there’s too much to do and not enough hours in the day. Join this ERA Water Cooler session to learn effective tricks and techniques for better time management given by master time management coach, and past ERA Conference speaker, Steve Turner of Turner Time Management.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Guest Speaker: Steve Turner, Founder & CEO, Turner Time Management

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Feb. 15, 2022 – audio recording

ERA Conference Preparations: How to Get the Most Out of Your Conference Experience
This ERA Water Cooler session offered an in-depth preview of the 2022 ERA Conference in Austin, TX. The discussion, featuring the conference chair and vice chair, provided attendees valuable information regarding upcoming event preparations and communications to help them understand how to get the most out their ERA Conference experience.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Bryan White, CPMR, vice president of sales, Catalyst Unity Solutions (Conference Chair); Lori Bruno, vice president and distribution sales manager, Luscombe Engineering of San Francisco (Conference Vice-Chair)

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Feb. 1, 2022 – audio recording

Logistics – Current Challenges & Long-Term Outlook
This session focused on the ever-changing world of logistics and the supply chain. The panel, featuring a manufacturer and distributor and a professor of supply chain, discussed what effects recent logistics breakdowns and supply chain issues have had on our industry and what challenges are we still struggling with today and challenges (and solutions) looking forward.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Jane Siegler, Ph.D., assistant professor of operations and supply chain management at Butler University, Lacy School of Business; Tom Vanderheyden, senior vice president, supply chain & sales enablement, Americas, at TTI, Inc.; Kris Whitehouse, vice president of sales, Americas at Omron Electronic Components

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Jan. 11, 2022 – audio recording

Peering Into the Crystal Ball: 2022 Industry Outlook
In this session, the panel provided insights regarding what they believe the industry will look like in the coming year, anticipated challenges, new opportunities to be had and how to navigate the new world of virtual selling and remote work.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Dave Doherty, President, Digi-Key Electronics; Greg Pace, President, Ohmite Manufacturing Co; Dave Wilkes, President, Westmark Electronics Inc.

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Dec. 14, 2021 – audio recording

Planning for 2022
This session revolved around the anticipated changes and challenges our industry will face as we move into 2022. The discussion included insights from a rep, manufacturer and distributor as to how they are budgeting for the new year, how they forecast supply chain issues and lead times, their concerns regarding double bookings, implementing new technology upgrades and how they will deal with a hybrid work environment.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Mark Motsinger, President of Wallace Electronic Sales; Steve Nolan, Vice-President of Sales & Business Development of Advanced Thermal Solutions Inc.; and Matt Waite, President & CEO of Dove Electronic Components

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Nov. 16, 2021 – audio recording

2022 ERA Conference Preview — What to Expect
Attendees were provided a peek behind the curtain regarding planning for the 2022 ERA Conference, to be hosted Feb. 27 – March 1 in Austin, TX. The core conference committee members were on hand to present information covering keynote and general session speakers, breakout session content, networking and social activities, and the overall conference schedule.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Adam Anderson, CPMR, Norris & Associates Inc.; Lori Bruno, Luscombe Engineering of San Francisco; Ellen Coan, CPMR, C C Electro Sales, Inc.; Matt Cohen, CPMR, C C Electro Sales Inc.; John Guetens, E-T-A Circuit Breakers; John Hutson, CPMR, The MacInnis Group; Holly Myers, CPMR, Genie Group; Perry Thornton, Pinnacle Marketing Inc.; and Bryan White, CPMR, Catalyst Unity Solutions

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Nov. 2, 2021 – audio recording

Maintaining a Company Culture in a Remote Environment
This session focused on the challenges that organizations face in maintaining a company culture in a remote environment, including effectively staying connected with employees; employee morale and mental health issues; and navigating the current empowered employee environment.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Seamus Dolan, Director of Sales, Crouzet; John Hutson, CPMR, President, MacInnis Group; and Riad Nizam, President, Master Electronics

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Oct. 19, 2021 – audio recording

Employee Retention
This discussion focused on what companies are doing to retain talent, maintaining a company culture and what candidates looking for in new job opportunities.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: John O’Brien, CPMR, Vice President of Coakley, Boyd and Abbett, and President of the ERA Executive Committee; and Carla Mahrt, President of JJM Search, an electronics industry executive recruiter.

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Sept. 28, 2021 – audio recording

Open Mic Session – Business Travel Nightmares: Challenges & Solutions
Attendees were given the opportunity to discuss how the pandemic has reshaped corporate travel and share experiences and solutions that will help them pivot to the next phase of business travel.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO

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Sept. 14, 2021 – audio/video recording

A Sneak Peek at the 2021 ERA Virtual Sales Training Event
This session provided insights into the ERA Virtual Sales Training Event, “Sharpen Your Sales Skills in Today’s Market,” scheduled Sept. 21-23, 2021. The discussion included an overview of the educational program, session topics and speakers; useful takeaways, best practices and key tools for attendees; a walk through the event site and virtual environment; and Q&A.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Ellen Coan, CPMR, Vice President Operations for C C Electro Sales Inc. and ERA Sr. Vice President/Education; Erin Collins, ERA Events Coordinator, Hugh Daly, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for METZ CONNECT USA Inc. Gary Smith, CPMR, President of G.L. Smith Associates Inc.

Sept. 1, 2021 – audio recording

EDS Is Canceled. What Now?
This discussion provided the opportunity to share tactical ideas about what reps, distributors and manufacturers can do to “replace” EDS 2021, which would have been the first in-person industry event of the year. The session focused on new professional experiences that can replace face-to-face meetings; how to maintain and build business relationships in a remote world; and why face-to-face still matters for fostering and developing mature professional relationships.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Mike Calabria, President, CEO and Board of Directors at Abracon LLC; Mike Swenson, President of Mel Foster Company; and Mike Walker, Vice President of Sales for Allied Electronics & Automation.

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Aug. 3, 2021 – audio recording

Navigating the Supply Chain Storm
This discussion focused on:
• How did we get here? Lessons learned
• How do we get out of it? Evaluating risks, building agility
• What’s next? Trends, best practices

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: David Paulson, Global Vice President, Avnet United and Avnet Velocity; Dennis Reed, Sr. Research Analyst, Edgewater Research; and Don Hnatyshin, Senior Vice President, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Molex

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July 20, 2021 – audio recording

Open Mic Session
This discussion was open to all industry citizens – ERA members and not yet members — sharing different unscripted ideas and business challenges. There were also updates on the upcoming ERA Virtual Sales Training, EDS 2021 and the 2022 ERA Conference.

Special Guest Facilitators:
ERA Chairman of the Board, Chuck Tanzola, CPMR, of Fusion Sourcing Group Inc. and ERA Sr. Vice President/Education Ellen Coan, CPMR, of C C Electro Sales Inc.

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July 6, 2021 – audio recording

Innovative Marketing Strategies
This discussion focused on how the pandemic changed marketing in the electronics industry, reimagining your marketing strategies beyond NPI and why a marketing strategist is essential for your team.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Ken Bellero, President of Schaffner EMC Inc.; Tom Griffin, CPMR, President of Catalyst Unity Solutions; and Graham Kilshaw, CEO of Lectrix

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June 22, 2021 – audio recording

What Buyers Want
This conversation focused on how the role of buyer/supply chain professionals has evolved during the pandemic, what they expect from reps and channel partners and lessons learned over the past year.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-facilitators: Jim Davis, Purchasing Manager, GM Nameplate; and Andrea Tibbitts, Commodity Manager, NPI & Sourcing, Flux Power

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June 8, 2021 – audio recording

Rep Territories — Blurring the Lines
The current state of rep territories and what our guest panelists believe are the driving factors behind the shifts that cross traditional rep territories.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-facilitators: Robert Logan of Kruvand Associates Inc.; David Norris of Norris & Associates Inc.; Gregory Pace of Ohmite Mfg. Co.; and Christoph Wolf of RECOM Power

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May 25, 2021 – audio recording

Open Mic Session
This session featured an open forum discussion giving attendees the opportunity to share different unscripted ideas and business challenges.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO

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May 11, 2021 – audio recording

New Employee Initiatives in a Virtual World
This discussion focused on employee recruitment; hiring and onboarding; training/retaining, and Q&A from participants.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Carla Mahrt, President of JJM Search, Gary Zullo, Sales Director for Arrow Electronics; and Shane Zutz, Vice President, Human Resources, for Digi-Key Electronics.

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April 27, 2021 – audio recording

Reopening Rules of Engagement
This panel-led discussion focused on possible customer and state rules for face-to-face meetings and what you can expect as you navigate today’s business environment.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Ken Bellero, President of Schaffner EMC; Joe Braun, CPMR, Partner and Field Sales Representative for EK Micro; Adam Glazer, partner at Schoenberg Finkel Beederman Bell Glazer and ERA Legal Counsel; and Craig Sanderson, VP Supplier Marketing & Product Management at Sager Electronics.

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April 13, 2021 – audio recording

Cybersecurity — How to Keep Your Company Safe in an Unsafe World

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Bob Kill, President and CEO of Enterprise Minnesota; John Connelly, Vice President of Consulting for Enterprise Minnesota; and Scott Singer, President of CyberNINES

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March 30, 2021 – audio recording

Strategies for Success for Manufacturers’ Rep Firms of All Sizes
This moderator-led deep-dive discussion of the breakout session featured at the 2021 ERA Virtual Conference focuses on best practices, new opportunities and customer segments.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Dave Norris, president of Norris & Associates; Tim Kilfoil, president of JF Kilfoil Company; Jim Gleason, managing partner of FJM Inc.; and V.J. Ladd, co-owner of Apogee Solutions Group.

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March 16, 2021 – audio recording

Post Pandemic Planning: Reopening in the New Abnormal
This ERA Water Cooler session focused on what this industry will look like as it starts to open back up. The panelists discussed various topics including potential travel, customer visits, training, safety requirements, and budget planning.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Jennifer Eby, Founding Partner of MaRCTech2, Inc; Al Wright, Regional Sales Manager for Laird Performance Materials and Mike Smith, VP of Sales for Hughes Peters

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Feb. 23, 2021 – audio recording

Video Recording

ERA 2021 Virtual Conference ‘Boot Camp’
This ERA Water Cooler session focused on how to get the most out of YOUR ERA Virtual Conference experience. The session covered the navigation, speakers, content, exhibitors, sponsors, games, and more.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Craig Anderson, President and Owner of Sumer Inc. and Conference Committee Chair; Neda Simeonova, Communications Director for ERA, and Erin Collins, Events Coordinator for ERA.

Feb. 9, 2021 – audio recording

Branding Your Company Through the Use of Interactive Video
This ERA Water Cooler session focused on using interactive training videos to brand your company and differentiate from competitors. The panelists discussed the various options in using video, the use of social media tools, cost-effective software tools, and using analytics to measure results.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Rob Tavi, Managing Director of IBS Electronics, Inc; Alan Ahern, President of Crowley Associates and Tom Griffin, CPMR, Managing Director of Catalyst Unity Solutions.

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Jan. 26, 2021 – audio recording

Are We Working at Home or Living at Work? Time Management and Task Prioritization Tips
This ERA Water Cooler session focused on tips and tricks for time management. Learn how to take back control of your schedule, best practices for starting your day on the right foot, email prioritization, and managing projects while working at home.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Monica Highfill, Vice President Sales – Americas for KEMET Electronics Corporation; and Mark Zack, Vice President Business Development for TTI Inc.

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Jan. 12, 2021 – audio recording

Supply Chain Challenges in the New Abnormal
This ERA Water Cooler session focused on the alignment of the supply chain from the customer up to the manufacturer. Listen in for more on forecasting and the outside challenges as well as automation tools that help enable supply chain velocity.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: John Beaver, President at GSA Manufacturers Rep Firm; Robert Derringer, Director, Global Channel for Crouzet North America; and Mike Rankins, Director of Supply Chain for Digikey

Dec. 15, 2020 – audio recording

Planning and Goal Setting in 2021
This ERA Water Cooler session focused on learning from 2020 as we plan to thrive in 2021. 2020 was a pivotal year as everyone adapted and met the needs to survive in the virtual world. 2021 will bring about more challenges. The panelists discussed budgeting goals, performance development and training, forecasting, succession planning, talent acquisition, market analysis, and more.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Tony Roybal, President, Americas Electronic Components of Avnet; Mark Conley, President and CEO of O’Donnell Associates North.

Dec. 1, 2020 – audio recording

Startups, Incubators, and Accelerators: How Best to Navigate this Complex but Necessary World!
This ERA Water Cooler session focused on the world of startups and the best practices for reps and distributors to support their needs. The panelists discussed evaluating the criteria for continued support, the process of vetting startups, as well as how and where to find startups.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Stacey Weismiller, Program Manager for Second Muse and Jeff Bergstein, President of Jeff Bergstein Consulting

Nov. 17, 2020 – audio recording

Media Expert Panel – Tips for Trusted Industry News Among the Chaos
Sifting through news today can be overwhelming. Where do you turn to for trusted resources? How can you speak up and be “heard?” This Water Cooler dives into timely accurate news sources as well as news board suggestions. Learn how to verify news while removing bias as the panel of media experts unpacks the news content analysis.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Steve Cholas, Vice President/Business Development for Big Zeta; Barb Jorgenson, Editor-in-Chief for Aspencore (formerly EPSNews); and Bolaji Ojo, CEO of DataSights GmbH, media executive.

Nov. 3, 2020 – audio recording

Staying Connected to Your Employees
Over the course of the year, how we stay connected to employees has changed drastically. In this water cooler session, learn about communicating with staff, keeping up morale, maintaining a personal touch, and promoting balance while sustaining expectations and productivity in the remote work environment. The discussion also includes how to manage performance reviews virtually, onboarding tips and challenges, and finding new talent remotely.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: John O’Brien, VP for Coakley, Boyd and Abbett; Gary Zullo, Director of Sales, Passive, Electromechanical and Interconnect for Arrow Electronics; and John Guetens, North American Sales Manager for E-T-A Circuit Breakers.

Oct. 20, 2020 – audio recording

Refreshing your company’s website and digital image is more important now than ever before. Learn valuable tips, where and how to start improving your digital image during this conversation from two experts from Upright, an ERA Recognized Resource. This in-depth discussion touches on topics such as what are people looking for in your website, how to enhance your company’s digital image and add calls to action, how to evaluate the effectiveness of your website, social media best practices, and ways to improve your SEO.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Emma Gaedeke, Co-Founder and Director, Upright Labs for Upright and Danielle Gaglioti, Co-Founder and Innovation Lead for Upright

Oct. 6, 2020 – audio recording

Two manufacturers share their views on the pandemic. Learn what manufacturers expect from their reps and from the channel, as well as what they think reps could be doing better. Gain valuable manufacturer’s insight on other topics, including how to be creative with building (digital) relationships, how best to approach virtual opportunities, and the manufacturer’s outlook on travel and the return of face-to-face meetings.

Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Gary Mountford, Vice President, Head of Sales Americas, C&K Components and Kris Whitehouse, Vice President Sales Americas, Omron Electronic Components

Sept. 22, 2020 – audio recording

Two reps share their experiences in finding new opportunities and maintaining business in today’s challenging business environment. The discussion included tips on how to engage new customers, how to add more value than ever to existing customers, tricks for reaching someone you don’t know, how to lead targeted conversations with solutions, and what successful things they are doing now that will carry over into the post-COVID world.

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Facilitator: Walter Tobin, ERA CEO
Co-Facilitators: Kingsland Coombs, CPMR, CSP, President, Control Sales and Greg Miner, President and CEO, Thorson Rocky Mountain

Sept. 8, 2020 – audio recording

A valuable conversation with attorney Andrew Bell, from long-time ERA counsel resource, Schoenberg Finkel Beederman Bell and Glazer LLC, covering updates and details surrounding current legal and tax topic such as PPP loans, economic nexus laws, succession planning, and valuing/selling/buying a rep company. If you would like to contact Andrew regarding a legal question, his contact info follows:

Phone: 312-648-2300
Email: andrew.bell@sfbbg.com
Website: https://www.sfbbg.com

Download chat notes