ERA Presents First Annual Tobin Bridge Award

ERA PRESS RELEASE

March 4, 2020
Contact: Neda Simeonova / Communications Director / nsimeonova@era.org

ERA Presents First Annual Tobin Bridge Award
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From left to right: Walter E. Tobin, Janice Tobin, Erin Kim and Dave Norris at the Award Ceremony during the 2020 ERA Conference.

The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) presented the First Annual Tobin Bridge Award to ERA CEO Walter E. Tobin at the 2020 ERA Conference, held in Austin, Texas, Feb. 23-25.

This award was created to honor Tobin’s significant contributions to ERA and recognize his distinguished ability to bring together the various constituencies of the electronics industry.

While ERA remains focused on its primary mission of advancing the manufacturers’ representative function, under Tobin’s leadership, the association has made significant strides to foster collaboration with manufacturers and channel partners.

Chuck Tanzola, CPMR, of Fusion Sourcing Group and ERA President, said: “In creating the Tobin Bridge Award, the Executive Committee [XCOM] of ERA recognizes and affirms the importance of bringing the various stakeholders in the electronics industry together as part of our mission of advancing the representative function. Over the course of his career, and especially during his five years as ERA CEO, Walter Tobin’s leadership by example in this regard is without parallel; and his impact on the industry and our association without question. We are honored and pleased to be able to publicly acknowledge and recognize Walter’s invaluable contributions to ERA.”

Dave Norris of Norris & Associates and ERA Chairman of the Board added: “No one has done more to bring together all the members of our industry community than Walt. Through his vision, leadership and enthusiasm, ERA continues to build bridges of support and cooperation between the reps, manufacturers and distributors, evident at the recent ERA Conference and impactful throughout our industry.”

After receiving the award, Tobin commented, “I have been blessed with working for good companies and to be associated with great people in my career. My time at ERA has been perhaps the best of all of my business worlds due to the great ERA family and the continued love and support of my wife Janice and our three girls.”

He added: “The award and recognition was both humbling and rewarding and will remain with me as one of the best days of my life. Many thanks to the ERA XCOM and to the great ERA staff for making this day so special.”

The Tobin Bridge Award will be presented annually to an individual who reaches across to “bridge” the various constituent components of the electronics industry — reps, manufacturers, distributors — while advancing the rep function.

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.