Winter 2025 – News Beat
2025 ERA CONFERENCE WILL KICK OFF IN AUSTIN IN FEBRUARY
IThe 2025 ERA Conference will be another sold-out event, with 650+ attendees and 115+ sponsors supporting the event! The event will feature an opening night welcoming reception, a keynote session, four general sessions, 12 breakout sessions and a Monday night Conference party.
Attendees will focus on the theme of “Power of Influence: Elevate, Expand, Evolve” during the educational conference, which will be held Feb. 23-25 at the AT&T Hotel & Conference Center in Austin, Texas.
View breakout session details, keynote and general session information, Monday night party information, speaker biographies, complete Conference schedule and more at: https://www.era. org/era-conference.
2025 EDS SUMMIT INFORMATION
The 2025 EDS Leadership Summit will take place May 19-23, 2025 at Resorts World in Las Vegas! The event’s theme is “Come Prepared, Leave Aligned.” View sponsorship information, reserve meeting space, and register to attend at EDSSummit.com.
IN MEMORIAM: BRUCE ANDERSON, CPMR
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 Chicagoland-Wisconsin ERA and the national association. He was 89. Bruce was the second generation of what was to become a four-generation family involved in the 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 his 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.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Bruce’s name can be made to Northwest Community Hospital’s NCH Foundation at https://www.nch.org/foundation/.
IN MEMORIAM: BILL DORAN, CPMR
We are sad to report that longstanding ERA member Bill Doran, CPMR, has passed away from complications which resulted from Parkinson’s disease. In 1975, Bill joined his parents’ Northwest rep firm, Doran Sales Associates, and served as president until his retirement in 2016. Bill held officer positions with the Pacific Northwest ERA Chapter in the 1980s, and he was on the board of the Northcon trade show. Bill is survived by his wife Kathy, daughter Marie and son Jim.