> Gary Smith, CPMR, Named 2022 Recipient of Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award

ERA Chairman of the Board Chuck Tanzola; President, G.L. Smith & Associates – Gary Smith, CPMR; ERA Board President John O’Brien

The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) is pleased to announce that Gary Smith, CPMR, president of G.L. Smith and Associates, is the 16th recipient of the Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award.

ERA Chairman of the Board Chuck Tanzola and ERA President John O’Brien presented Smith with the award at the 2023 ERA Conference in Austin, Texas.

The Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award was established in 2004 to honor the late Ray Hall, who served as CEO of ERA for almost 40 years. The award recognizes individuals who exemplify the spirit of ERA through their commitment to serving and advancing the manufacturers’ representative function.

“This award is really for all of those before me that believed and invested in paying it forward,” said Smith. “When I became a rep, I was blessed to be tutored and guided by some of the best the ERA brotherhood had to offer. It’s with their guidance that I was able to formalize my skill set and continue my learning process through countless ERA meetings, events, lunches, dinners and CMPR certification. It’s all about paying it forward and I just hope I am able to give back as much as I’ve been given.”

Previous recipients of the award, who served as judges of this year’s entries, are:

Tom Griffin, CPMR, Catalyst Unity Solutions (2021);
John O’Brien, Coakley, Boyd and Abbett (2020);
David Norris, CPMR, Norris & Associates Inc., Hingham, Mass., (2018);
Chuck Tanzola, CPMR, Fusion Sourcing Group, Edison, N.J. (2017);
Dan Parks, CPMR, West Electronic Solutions, Inc., Costa Mesa, Calif. (2016);
Bob Evans, CPMR, EK Micro, Rolling Meadows, Ill. (2014);
Bob Walsh, CPMR, Coakley, Boyd and Abbett, Inc., Framingham, Mass. (2013);
Bill Herold, CPMR, Conquest Technical Sales, Thousand Oaks, Calif. (2012);
Carol Cohen, CC Electro Sales, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind. (2011);
Kathie Cahill, CPMR, of Net Sales Company, Victor, N.Y. (2009);
Paul Nielsen, CPMR, of Brainard-Nielsen Marketing, Elk Grove Village, Ill. (2008);
Bruce Scoggin, CPMR, of Electro-Rep Associates, Charlotte, N.C. (2007);
Mark Conley of O’Donnell Associates North, San Jose, Calif. (2006); and
Mark Motsinger, CPMR, of Wallace Electronic Sales, Kernersville, N.C. (2005).