Summer 2024 – 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.

COLT 2024

ERA has confirmed the Chapter Officers Leadership Training program will once again be held virtually this fall. The dates for this dynamic, hands-on educational program geared towards current and up-and-coming chapter leaders, will be November 6-8, 2024. Registration will open in early August. Visit www.era.org for more information.

ARIZONA

Arizona ERA held its 3rd annual golf tournament on May 29. It was the chapter’s best one yet with nearly 70 attendees, with an awards luncheon after the golf outing. A big shout-out to all of the sponsors and attendees that made this event a great success. Thank you!

CAROLINAS

Carolinas ERA continues to host its monthly virtual networking events focused on various industry topics of discussion for each session. John Hutson, CPMR, president of MacInnis Group, was the chapter’s guest speaker in May. John provided an intriguing history of his rep journey, current position in ERA and his vision of the manufacturers’ rep of the future. All indicators point to a bright future of the rep model. The chapter has firmly scheduled its annual CERA Charity Golf Tournament which will be held at Wildwood Golf Club in Raleigh, N.C., on October 10. The planning team has been diligently planning to ensure this will be a fantastic day of fun and friendship with our reps, manufacturers and distributors!

CHICAGOLAND-WISCONSIN

For the third year in a row, Chicagoland- Wisconsin ERA hosted an industry social gathering at Summerfest on June 22. Over 40 area reps, manufacturers, distributors and customers attended this fun-filled networking event.

EMPIRE STATE

Empire State ERA will hold its annual Charity Golf Event on August 5 at Clifton Springs Country Club. This year, the chapter has worked with the Tanzola family to help honor Chuck Tanzola’s legacy in the industry and community. To better service membership, the tournament committee has moved the event back to Clifton Springs after some great years at Ravenwood. Check out empireera.org/events for more information. Also, the Empire ERA continues to stay in touch with and support the Baker girls with their Julie Baker Golf Event as it has grown beyond an annual day of golf. Check out what they are up to at juliebakermemorialgolf.com.

FLORIDA-SUNSHINE

Thank you to everyone from the Florida- Sunshine ERA who joined the chapter’s annual golf tournament on June 6. The event hosted 67 people in total. This year’s donation went to the Blake Bortles Foundation. The list of all who help make this event successful is long. Thank you volunteers and thank you attendees! Through the group’s generosity and giving back, a donation of $1,500 was raised for the Blake Bortles Foundation.

INDIANA-KENTUCKY

Indiana-Kentucky ERA hosted a day at the Indy 500 racetrack in May, with guest Walter Tobin, ERA CEO. A full day of fun and networking was had, with lunch and a suite to watch the race!

METRO NEW YORK

Metro NY ERA hosted the Steve Alford Memorial Golf outing on June 24 at Saint Georges Golf and Country Club. This annual event is more than just a day on the greens; it is an opportunity to honor the memory of Steve, who was a longtime chapter leader, and help raise money for Long Island Cares for veterans in need.

MEXICO

Thank you to all who attended the inaugural Mexico ERA event in Guadalajara in June! The chapter was thrilled to have around 65 attendees, with plenty of networking time together as well as a great presentation by Walter Tobin, ERA CEO, who further explained the value of ERA along with the benefits of having a local chapter. The goal of the event was to present an in-depth picture of ERA to the Mexico market, and to get support in starting a chapter with our great representatives, distributors and manufacturers in the area. We have had many responses from attendees sharing excitement and a willingness to further the effort to start a chapter!

MID-LANTIC

Mid-Lantic ERA held its 2nd Annual TopGolf Event in Mt Laurel, N.J. in April. Approximately 75 people from 10 distributors and 20 different rep firms, along with a couple of manufacturers and some “special” guests, were in attendance. This represented a 40 percent increase over last year’s inaugural event. Thank you to all our sponsors who helped make this night such a rousing success! John Jacobsen, of Jacobsen Associates Inc., was presented with a Lifetime Membership Award for his 45 years as a prominent member of ERA. Congratulations, John! The Chapter also raised more than $500 in a charity raffle which was donated to CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). Nothing but positive feedback followed this event. We look forward to hosting again in 2025!

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Northern California ERA hosted a Top Golf event in San Jose on June 6 benefitting Special Olympics. More than 40 people attended, including three new ERA members! The Chapter donated over $5,000 to Special Olympics of Northern California. Upcoming chapter events are on the calendar and highly anticipated.

OHIO

Ohio ERA extended a very warm welcome to a group of area reps, manufacturers and distributors who came out for the Lake Erie Crushers games on May 29. Despite the chilly temperatures, a great day was had by all. Mark Counts, branch manager at Hughes-Peters, had the honor of throwing out the honorary first pitch!

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Pacific Northwest ERA hosted a get-together in February where participants tried axe-throwing. In June, the chapter hosted an event with the NW Electronics Design & Manufacturing Expo (NEDME) group of electronics manufacturers at the Golden Valley Brewery and Restaurant. This gave the reps an opportunity to meet some new prospective customers. The chapter has been doing these get-togethers for many years. The chapter will attend NEDME in October!

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

The response to Southern California ERA’s San Diego Social in June was overwhelming! With over 75 attendees at Draft Republic Brewery, it was a night of networking and fun. We aim to make this an annual tradition! Thank you to the amazing sponsors that made the night possible! Next up, we have the following events planned: The Sagebrush Social on Sept. 19; the Anaheim Electronics & Manufacturing Show on Oct. 2-3; and the Operation Homefront Golf Tournament on Oct. 29; and an economic update event on Nov. 14.