Fall 2023 – 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.
CHAPTER NEWS
COLT 2023
The Chapter Officers Leadership Training (COLT) program will once again be held virtually this year, on November 1-3. There is no cost to register and registrations are still being accepted. Visit the COLT information page for more information.
ARIZONA
Arizona ERA is making some changes to keep pace with the increased activity and growth. Cameron English, CPMR, of English Technical Sales, has moved into the chairman of the board role, and Kevin Davis of Techni- Source has taken on the role of president. Rick Dale of Kruvand-FTS has moved into the position of vice president. Wyatt Gifford of English Technical Sales has accepted the responsibilities of secretary/treasurer. Fiona Biggins of English Technical Sales has resigned from the Board to focus on other business responsibilities, and Alicia Doten of Techni- Source has joined the chapter as adminstrative and events manager.
While all of this is happening, the chapter is excited to be hosting its Q3 Happy Hour with guest speaker Darrin Duffy, senior category manager at Mercury Systems. Plans are also being put in place for our second annual golf tournament in May 2024.
Arizona ERA continues to serve the industry in our market, and the momentum is moving us toward greater participation with our members, partners and customers. We’re anxious to see all that we can accomplish together as we grow.
CANADA
Canada ERA hosted a successful golf tournament at Glen Eagle Golf Club in Caledon, Ontario, recently. The chapter is pleased to announce that the event raised $20,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
CAROLINAS
The 2023 Networking Series has benefited greatly this year from a diverse array of presenters, including Dennis Reed, senior research analyst at Edgewater Research, who provided an electronic industry overview, and Jeff Bade, vice president of Budde Marketing, with a review of best utilizing Budde’s unique tools. We look forward to future events with our very own Walter Tobin, and innovations from Phase Dock.
Beginning mid-year, the chapter invited the FL-Sunshine ERA chapter to join its breakfast and lunch events and looks forward to collaborating with them for future interesting topics.
Additionally, the chapter is pleased to announce it hosted its 20th Annual CERA Memorial Golf Tournament at the Challenge Golf Club in Graham, N.C. on Oct. 6 in memory of Keith Phillips. Since 2005, CERA has given multiple scholarships to collegebound 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
Chicagoland-Wisconsin ERA remains active, preparing to host an educational in-person breakfast on Oct. 13. The event will feature a presentation by Anurag Rana, senior analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence. Rana will discuss current market trends with OEMs/ODMs with an audience of reps, manufacturer and distributors.
INDIANA-KENTUCKY
In August, Indiana-Kentucky ERA hosted its 31st Annual Industry Golf Outing at Golf Club of Indiana in Lebanon, Ind. The chapter had their biggest attendance yet with 84 golfers and 14 volunteers cheering on the winners, who were Hughes Peters of Indianapolis and Southern Ohio in a tie breaker with R.O. Whitesell, TT Electronics and customers Aptiva and Liberty.
Good weather and good fellowship was shared with all! Profits from the event were donated to FIRST Indiana Robotics, which mentors robotics teams at all K-12 Indiana schools. Members of robotics teams from years’ past were playing in the tournament and excited to “give back” to FIRST. A home was also found for unused samples! The chapter encourages other chapters to find your local FIRST Robotics group and clean out your offices.
FLORIDA-SUNSHINE
FL-Sunshine ERA hosted its annual charity fundraiser golf tournament on Oct. 12 in Celebration, Fla. Profits from this event will be given to the Blake Bortles Foundation, whose prime goal is to work with individuals with developmental disabilities. (http://www.blakebortlesfoundation. com/.) In addition, the chapter is poised for its last fundraiser of the year on December 8-9 in Melbourne Fla. This event benefits the Kids Without Christmas, a local 501c3 providing holiday cheer for disadvantaged children.
NEW ENGLAND
New England ERA’s 3rd annual golf tournament took place in early September at the beautiful Four Oaks Country Club in Dracut, Mass. The event united seasoned professionals with enthusiastic newcomers, creating a day of competitive golf, culinary delights and valuable networking opportunities. The day concluded with a raffle, featuring generous donations from our members, coupled with a touching tribute to Norm MacInnis, a devoted industry and long-standing ERA volunteer. Together, the attendees rallied to raise over $2,000, a heartfelt contribution to the American Heart Association in Norm’s honor. The day exemplified the spirit of our industry, where camaraderie and compassion came together to make a meaningful impact.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Northern California ERA proudly presented a virtual panel in August featuring a lineup of four emerging professionals from the electronics industry. The event was streamed live on LinkedIn via StreamYard and engaged participants across the ERA community.
The event provided a platform for the early career professionals to discuss their journeys, challenges and triumphs within the industry. The panelists were Alex Monetta, outside sales representative at Meridian Technical Sales; Christian Alviso, vice president & sales engineering at Luscombe Engineering of San Francisco; Gabriella DeSouza, FAI strategic account manager at Future Electronics; and Erin Fox, distribution sales and marketing manager at TAARCOM.
The event was moderated by Rob Brunson, vice president of sales and marketing at Wallace Electronic Sales, and Hunter Starr, territory manager at Performance Technical Sales. Their engaging style and industry expertise kept the discussions dynamic and the audience captivated. The livestreamed event drew in a virtual audience of more than 70 attendees. Attendees had the opportunity to submit questions ahead of time and during the event via chat, creating an environment of active engagement.
Panelists shared their perspectives on navigating the evolving industry landscape, virtual-to-in-person transitions and building professional connections. They also discussed strategies for empowering teams, fostering relationships and motivating team members.
Additionally, the chapter hosted a virtual event with guest speaker Dennis Reed in September. Dennis Reed’s participation was a generous contribution of his time and industry insights, demonstrating his dedication to the ERA community.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Southern California ERA’s June virtual event, AI Language Model, was a resounding success, largely thanks to Matthew Amato, global marketing and public relations manager at IBS Electronics, along with the dedicated team at IBS Electronics Group. Attendees left with valuable insights and a handy AI prompt cheat sheet to enhance their efficiency and productivity in their respective roles.
In July, the chapter proudly unveiled its new website, designed not only for the benefit of chapter members but also as an educational resource for the wider community. The website can be viewed here https://www.erascal.org/. The chapter extends its heartfelt appreciation to the website committee members for their invaluable time and guidance: Codi Tennessen from Astron Electronics, Jake Tramel from Bager Sales, Gary Smith from G.L. Smith Associates and Michael McCaig from Luscombe Engineering.
The chapter introduced a scrolling logo bar on the home page and displaying member logos in the membership tab. A simple click on a member logo directs users to the individual member page. Also added were sponsor logos to the event pages to express gratitude for their generous support. The chapter introduced an exclusive members-only area for Southern California ERA, offering sections for announcements, candidates seeking jobs, member directory, job listings, available product lines, past event access and a suggestion box.
The 19th Annual Sagebrush Summer Social was hosted on Sept. 14. This year, the legendary Steve Farley and his band, Burnt Toast, performed with special surprise appearances by industry alumni Ken Davidson and Johnny Garcia. Thanks to the generous support of sponsors, Calsquare Manufacturers’ Rep, Rutronik Electronics Worldwide, QualSpec, Triad Magnetics, Ward/Davis Associates, Conquest Technical Sales, DigiKey, Harper and Two, Heilind, Premier Magnetics, TML & Associates, West Electronic Solutions, Astron Electronics, G.L. Smith Associates, Inc., KAI Connect, Kehoe Electronics, Luscombe Engineering, O’Donnell South, Inc., Sager Electronics, and Signal Enterprises, Inc., this free event was open to everyone in the electronics industry.
The chapter was also present at the Anaheim Electronics and Manufacturing Show on Sept. 27-28.
The chapter’s annual golf tournament, benefiting Operation Homefront, was held in early October at the Black Gold Golf Course in Yorba Linda. It was an opportunity for everyone to unwind, socialize and enjoy cocktails, dinner and prizes! A heartfelt thank you is extended to Rutronik Electronics Worldwide, a platinum sponsor of the event.
Moving forward, the chapter is actively planning an “Engage with Engineers” event for November and will conclude 2023 with a year-end planning meeting.