ERA PRESS RELEASE

Feb. 26, 2020
Contact: Neda Simeonova / Communications Director / nsimeonova@era.org

John O’Brien Named Recipient of Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award

The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) has announced that John O’Brien, CPMR, vice president of Coakley, Boyd & Abbett Inc. in Framingham, Mass., is the 14th recipient of the Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award.

Chuck Tanzola, CPMR, of Fusion Sourcing Group (left) and David Norris of Norris & Associates Inc. (right) presented John O’Brien, CPMR, (center) with the 2019 Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award at the 2020 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 professional field sales (manufacturers’ representative) function.

O’Brien was nominated for the award by Bob Evans, CPMR, of EK Micro and Senior Vice President/Industry for the ERA Board of Directors.

Evans said, “I am happy to nominate John O’Brien for the Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award. John has contributed so much to ERA both on the chapter and national levels, including serving as the chair of the ERA Conference. He has always answered the call to action for the organization and the profession demonstrating his support of the rep function. His hard work and commitment to ERA make him a deserving recipient of the Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award.”

When notified of the award, O’Brien said, “Receiving this honor is really a humbling experience. When I look back on the list of previous winners, I realized how blessed I am to be mentioned in the same category as so many that have done so much for our industry and ERA. I am proud to do my part to continue the good work started by Ray Hall and so many others before me.”

The Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award was presented at the association’s Annual Conference on Feb. 25, 2020, at the AT&T Conference Center in Austin, Texas. As the award recipient, O’Brien received a full conference attendance and travel package.

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

David Norris, 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, Cal. (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, Cal. (2006); and
Mark Motsinger, CPMR, of Wallace Electronic Sales, Kernersville, N.C. (2005).

About ERA
The 85-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.