Fall 2022 – Chapter News
Chapter News reports the local activities of the 22 chapters of ERA. The chapters sponsor educational and training workshops, local trade shows, legislative and industry projects to enhance the professionalism of individual members and to advance the goals and mission of the national association.
ARIZONA
The Arizona chapter sponsored a Q-3 Industry Gathering on September 14. Since there had been quite a few changes in the first half of the year, it was time to reconnect and reaffirm relationships. There was also a presentation by Tim Dinielli, senior global supply chain manager for Nikola Motors that addressed the rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) industry in Arizona. Electronics sales representatives, distributors, manufacturers and customers attended this fun-filled evening of networking.
The goal in hosting this event was for Arizona ERA to become the catalyst to bring the Phoenix-area electronic component industry community together to elevate professionalism, promote the representative function and create a fellowship and bond with fellow sales professionals
CAROLINAS
After a brief break over the summer, the Carolinas Chapter of ERA is continuing their online virtual event series coordinated by Penny Langdon. The chapter hosted a virtual breakfast on Sept. 23 that focused on the topic of “Engaging Young Engineers.”
Additionally, the chapter hosted its 19th Annual CERA Memorial Golf Tournament on Oct. 7 at Tot Hill Farm in Asheboro, N.C. Since 2005, the CERA has given over $40,000 in scholarships to college-bound dependents of member reps and distributors. The chapter has also donated to the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. This is all funded by the annual golf tournament.
CHICAGOLAND-WISCONSIN
The Chicagoland-Wisconsin chapter remains active, hosting a successful educational inperson breakfast on Aug. 26. The event featured a presentation by Anurag Rana, senior analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Rana discussed current market trends with OEMs/ODMs with an audience of over 25 reps, manufacturer and distributors. The chapter will host a holiday event benefitting Toys for Tots in December.
INDIANA-KENTUCKY
The Indiana-Kentucky ERA Chapter reported a great turnout at Golf Club of Indiana for the Annual Indiana-Kentucky ERA Industry Golf Outing. The event hosted over 80 golfers and 10 volunteers. The chapter thanks ERA National and the many other sponsors for their generous support. It was a successful outing! R. O. Whitesell and Associates were the winners of the outing, with TTI, Inc. coming in second. It truly was an electronic industry event that has become an annual tradition for Indiana-Kentucky ERA member reps, customers and distributor colleagues. All rep members participated in the event, along with many customers. There were over 30 players and volunteers from six different distributors!
EMPIRE
The Empire ERA Chapter proudly raised $35,000 at its Aug. 1 Julie Baker Memorial Golf Tournament to donate to the Willow Domestic Violence Center in Rochester, N.Y. Julie Baker, an engineer who worked in electronic component sales for GMA, was tragically taken by an act of domestic violence in 2020. Baker was a Board member of the Empire ERA chapter and helped plan the annual Empire ERA golf tournaments. “This tournament, renamed and rededicated in Julie’s honor, further supports her legacy with this substantial contribution,” said Patrick Coyne, vice president of membership and communications of Empire ERA chapter.
METRO NEW YORK
Metro New York Chapter hosted its Steve Alford Memorial Golf Tournament on Oct. 6. This event, taking pace at St. Georges Golf and Country Club in East Setauket, N.Y., is being held to honor Metro New York Chapter President, Steve Alford, who passed away suddenly in November 2021. Steve was president and owner of Superior-Tek, a rep firm in New York, and was well known and very well-respected within New York’s high-tech electronics industry where he had spent his entire 37-year professional career.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
On July 25, the Northern California chapter hosted a virtual event featuring a presentation by Steve Turner, CEO & Founder of Turner Time Management, who presented, “Work Smarter, Not Harder: Powerful Time Management Strategies to Boost Your Productivity.” The virtual event was open to all chapters, and had attendees join from across the country. After the call, Steve provided handouts for technology best practices, plus Gmail/Google Calendar reference guides. He also offered attendees a complimentary 30-minute consultation call. The attendees all learned valuable time-saving tips and tricks! The Northern California Chapter also enjoyed a social outing on August 18 to watch the local minor league baseball team play at Excite Ballpark in San Jose, Calif. About 35 ERA members and prospects watched from a private field-level deck as the San Jose Giants beat the Inland Empire with a score of 11-9. The group consisted of manufacturers’ reps, OEMs and distributors – including some recent hires and interns that are new to the industry. Several attendees even caught foul balls. This event was a home run! The NorCal ERA looks forward to our next meeting and continuing to service our members in a fun way that enhances their knowledge and expertise.
SOUTHWEST
The ERA SW Chapter is going to be hosting an event in the Dallas, Texas area on Nov. 16 or 17! Please keep an eye out for upcoming details with date, time and location. The chapter welcomes ERA members and readers in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area to join this event.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
A great time was had by all at the SoCal ERA’s Summer Social event hosted on Sept. 8. Newly retired Steve Farley and his band Burnt Toast supplied the entertainment to over 75 industry professionals. Reps, distributors, manufacturers and customers all joined in on the fun. A big thank you to fellow ERA rep Bill Herold of Conquest Technical Sales and Andrea Pacholek, chapter administrator, for planning the event.
Renowned economist Dr. Raymond Sfeir, Ph.D., from Chapman University’s Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research gave his expert advice at an in-person event on Sept. 27. ERA members not only learned about what to expect from the economy, but they also had an opportunity to ask questions that are directly impacting their business. This was an industry-wide event where reps, manufacturers, distributors and anyone else from the electronics industry were welcome. The event was widely attended.
The chapter’s Charity Golf Tournament in November will support Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization that helps build strong, stable and secure military families. Robert Thomas, COO of Operation Homefront states: “We are grateful to the Electronics Representatives Association of Southern California for their ongoing commitment and steadfast support allowing us to accomplish our mission of building strong, stable and secure military families. Since 2013, they have helped us deliver our portfolio of highly-valued relief, resiliency and recurring support programs to military families in Southern California and across the country, enabling tens of thousands of these very deserving citizens to thrive, not simply struggle to get by, in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.”
The Southern California Chapter is looking forward to the rest of the year and have already started planning events for 2023!