> ERA Mourns the Passing of Bruce Anderson, CPMR
For release: January 9, 2025
With deep regret, ERA must inform you of the passing in mid-November of Bruce P. Anderson, CPMR, a member of the ERA Hall of Fame and a decades-long leader of the Chicagoland-Wisconsin ERA Chapter and the national association. He was 89.
Bruce was the second generation of what was to become a four-generation family involved in the ERA rep firm Sumer, Inc. His father Burt Anderson was a leader of the Chicagoland Chapter in the 1950s and 1960s, and Bruce followed him onto the chapter board. From there, he was elected to the national executive committee where he served in several offices, including as ERA president in 1979-81 and chairman of the board in 1981-83. Bruce was inducted into the ERA Hall of Fame in 1983.
Among the many milestones during his leadership tenure, perhaps the most notable was Bruce’s role in the establishment of the Manufacturers’ Representatives Educational Research Foundation (MRERF). A professional certification program for reps and the foundation were goals of ERA for some years before the actual launch of the organization in 1984. To make that goal a reality, Bruce led the ERA White Pin Group members in pledging $250,000 to get the foundation off the ground. He was also instrumental in hiring Dr. Marilyn Friesen as the first executive director of MRERF, and he provided free office space at this firm for the foundation’s first few years of operation.
In addition to ERA and MRERF, Bruce gave his time to many other organizations, including Habitat for Humanity. He was an alumnus of Ripon College where he was active in the ROTC. After graduation, he served as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and following his discharge, he earned an MBA at Indiana University. Throughout his 38 years in the rep business, Bruce was known for his integrity, leadership, expertise and work ethic.
Bruce is survived by his son, Craig, seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and his partner, Judy Yohe. His wife Ann and son David predeceased him.
A celebration of Bruce’s life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 25, at noon at the Barrington Hills Country Club in Barrington Hills, IL. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Bruce’s name can be made to Northwest Community Hospital’s NCH Foundation at https://www.nch.org/