Speaker Biographies
Biographies are listed alphabetically by last name and include detailed descriptions of the presenters, as well as links to their presentation files and audio content (if available).
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Ken Bellero
Ken Bellero is the president of Schaffner EMC Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the international leader in the development and production of solutions, which ensure the efficient and reliable operation of electronic systems.
During his 17-year tenure at Schaffner, Ken has served as the vice president of sales for the Components Division, national sales manager, eastern regional sales manager and inside sales manager.
Previously, during his 25-year tenure in the electronics industry, Ken also worked for Newark Electronics as a branch manager and outside sales manager in New Jersey for 12 years. He started his electronics career at Alpha Wire as an inside sales associate.
Jim Bird
General Session – Five Steps to Better Work-Life Balance – Leadership Success in Work and Life
Jim Bird is the founder and CEO of WorkLifeBalance.com, the internationally recognized leader in work-life balance education and related development programs including leadership, stress and time management training.
As a pioneer in the field of work-life balance, Jim champions both achievement and enjoyment in the four areas of life: work, family, friends and self. He is a dynamic and engaging speaker who brings practical experience to every client presentation and speaking engagement.
Since 1991, Jim and WorkLifeBalance.com, Inc. have worked with some of the world’s largest organizations to achieve their most critical business objectives and develop their people to obtain greater value and balance from both their professional and personal lives.
Previously, with an investment of $1,000, Jim co-founded Nationwide Fund Raisers, Inc. and as CEO helped steer it from a start-up with three employees to an organization with more than 350 employees and $35 million in annual sales. Jim is an honors graduate of Georgia Tech with a degree in business. He currently resides in Atlanta, Ga., with his wife and their two daughters. He travels extensively and is an avid salt-water sports fisherman, spending much of his free time at his home in Islamorada, Fla., fishing the flats.
Michael Calabria
Michael Calabria is a proven sales and marketing executive with 35 years experience at a $23 billion, Fortune 150, high-tech company. He has successfully executed change management through re-engineering organizations, divisional spin-offs, integrating acquisitions and merging operations.
During his 35-year career at Arrow Electronics, Michael led various departments and sales operations including as vice president of sales, vice president of marketing, vice president of product management, vice president of military semiconductor marketing and vice president of headquarter sales and customer marketing.
Michael served on the board of directors for the Electronic Distribution Show (EDS) Corporation from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2006 top 2012. In 2006, Michael received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Electronics Distributors Association (NEDA).
Michael is currently the president, chief executive officer and member of the board of directors of Abracon, LLC, a leading global manufacturer of passive and electromechanical timing, synchronization, power, connectivity and RF solutions. Michael also serves on the board of directors of Micro-Technologies, a San Jose-based manufacturing, design and delivery solutions provider. Michael received his B.S. degree from the State University of New York at Oswego.
Kathie Cahill
2018 Tess Hill Award Recipient
Kathie Cahill, CPMR, president of Net Sales Company in Victor, NY., is ERA’s Senior Vice President/Membership and previously served as Senior VP/Education. She is a former teacher and the the only volunteer to have chaired the ERA Conference Committee three times, in 2009, 2011 and 2013. She was the 2009 recipient of the Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award and was recently named the 2018 recipient of the Tess Hill Award.
Julie Carr
Julie Carr is the distribution sales manager and a partner in the MacInnis Company, a New England-based manufacturers’ representative firm. She has been with the organization since 1995.
Prior to joining the MacInnis Company, Julie held multiple sales positions with both Cronin and Reptron Electronics. Julie is the acting vice president of membership of ERA’s New England Chapter. She is a graduate of Assumption College and is a lifelong resident of the greater Boston area.
Debbie Castrodale
Breakout Seminar – Unselling in 2018: Are You Having the Right Collaborative Conversation?
Debbie Castrodale is a certified business and sales coach/consultant and noted public speaker especially known for “Are You Having the Right Conversation?”
Debbie spent many years with the Hershey Company in various roles before moving on to consult others. She has 25+ years of experience in sales, consulting, management and training roles with Fortune 500 companies, SMBs and startups in global supply chain services, consumer products, retail, e-commerce, real estate, workforce development and software. Debbie has coached hundreds of talented individuals, organizations and companies and has assisted in differentiating their talents, products and/or services.
She is the founder of The Unsale, which she started as a response to the market need for an overhaul of lead generation, tired sales methodology and business development. Since companies need to move faster and be proactive and responsive, she collaborates with clients to create unique solutions that align with their business strategies. Debbie uses her diverse background to demonstrate a fresh perspective for clients and is known for challenging the status quo and having a non-linear approach to developing strategy. Her other business passion is tracking innovation and disruption across industries.
Debbie loves traveling, sports and the outdoors and can often be found on her road bike, on a hike or in the yoga studio. She also volunteers for the Triangle American Marketing Association and has a “boomerang” status with the Multiple Sclerosis Society for raising money each year to battle MS.
Charles Cohon
Breakout Seminar – The Quick and the Dead
Charles Cohon is the CEO and president of the Manufacturers’ Agents National Association (MANA). He has been an invited speaker at the Harvard Business School on sales force outsourcing and is a frequent speaker at industry trade events and conferences.
MANA is a not-for-profit 401(c)6 trade association dedicated to advancing the professionalism and utilization of independent manufacturers’ representatives through carefully curated educational material and a matchmaking database.
Cohon earned an MBA with honors with concentrations in strategic management and entrepreneurship from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and he was the founder and owner of a very successful Illinois manufacturers’ representative firm for nearly 30 years before joining MANA. He also earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation after completing American’ Society of Association Executives (ASAE) coursework and testing.
Timothy Conlon
Timothy L. Conlon is a senior executive with extensive experience in assembling and motivating dynamic successful management teams. He was the president and COO of Viasystems, a leading worldwide independent provider of contract electronics manufacturing service, until the company was sold in 2015.
Prior to joining Viasystems, he was the president and COO of Berg Electronics Group, Inc., the world’s third-largest supplier of connector, socket and cable assembly products serving high-end data processing, personal computing, telecommunications, industrial and instrumentation markets.
Tim has many years of public board experience and recently served as vice chairman and director of the China Printed Circuit Association. He also has been a part of 34 transactions, including 23 acquisitions, eight divestitures and three company sales. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Interplex Holdings Pte. Ltd.
He holds a B.S. degree from Gannon University and an MBA from Saint Bonaventure University.
Tobi Cornell, CPMR
Tobi Cornell, CPMR, is the vice president of distribution and also works in outside sales in Dallas/Ft. Worth for Kruvand Associates.
She graduated with a BBA from Texas Christian University in 1994 and began working in the rep industry at DJ Sales in Dallas that same year. Tobi worked for DJ Sales for two and a half years as inside salesperson for the Houston market, then went into field sales in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
Kruvand acquired DJ Sales in 1998, and Tobi took on the distribution manager role at the firm in addition to account responsibility in Dallas/Ft Worth. She was named vice president of distribution for Kruvand in 2015 and continues to work in this role, which includes development of Kruvand’s product lines with its distribution partners, as well as maintaining responsibility for select accounts in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. Tobi is also the secretary of the Southwest Chapter of ERA.
Tobi and all of Kruvand Associates are proud supporters of electronic industry events and organizations, including ECIA, ERA, EDS and many more.
Wayne Cotter
Opening Keynote: Tools of Our Trade — Constructing a Successful Future
Wayne Cotter, a humorist and former design engineer, eagerly admits he’s a lifelong “technology geek,” and he’ll bring that love of all things electronic to ERA’s keynote about the many tools that reps, manufacturers and distributors need to succeed in this dynamic industry.
After studying electrical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and beginning his career as a design engineer with a New Jersey computer company, Cotter began moonlighting as a Philadelphia comedian. He continued this double life for some time, until he ultimately concluded that the computer industry “was going nowhere” and left town to pursue show business full time. Almost immediately, he became a frequent guest of Jay Leno and David Letterman and a fixture on the national comedy circuit. Cotter became a familiar face on television and, eventually, the host of his own shows for both the Discovery Channel and The Fox Network.
Thomas Derry
General Session – Economic Update: What’s in Store in 2018 and Beyond?
Thomas W. Derry is chief executive officer of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) in Tempe, Ariz.
ISM is a not-for-profit organization with more than 50,000 members worldwide. ISM delivers market intelligence, certification, training and professional development to the global market of procurement and supply chain management professionals. ISM is best known as the inventor and publisher of the PMI index as part of its monthly Report On Business. The manufacturing PMI and the NMI for the services sector are closely followed by governments and in capital markets as leading indicators of global economic conditions.
Prior to joining ISM in July 2012, Tom spent nine years with the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), a $23 million professional association serving 17,000 corporate treasury and finance professionals. As chief operating officer, he directed a global staff located in the U.S. and U.K. He was responsible for strategic planning and strategic development, including U.S. and Canadian professional membership organizations and two wholly owned, for-profit U.K. subsidiaries.
Prior to AFP, Tom was general manager of the LexisNexis business intelligence group headquartered in New Providence, N.J. He oversaw the implementation of a new strategy, restructured operations, and handled related acquisition integrations and strategic business unit divestitures.
Tom has substantial experience in product development, cross-border acquisitions and foreign joint ventures, strategic restructuring of operations and developing profit generating strategic alliances. Representing ISM, he is frequently interviewed on macroeconomic and business conditions by the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, U.S. television network CNBC, Bloomberg Television and various other business media outlets, as well as being an often-invited speaker at a variety of business conferences.
Tom holds a B.S. in foreign relations from Georgetown University and is the chairman and president of ISM Services, the for-profit consulting arm of ISM. He is also a member of the Dean’s Council for the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and a member of the board of directors of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Zachary DeVillers, CPMR
Breakout Seminar – Sales Techniques Swap Shop
Zachary DeVillers, CSP, CPMR, is the director of sales at Brainard-Nielsen Marketing, an Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based manufacturers’ rep firm specializing in the sale of electro-mechanical components.
He has past experience in electronic sales with Newark Electronics and Hughes Peters.
Zach received his CPMR certification in 2015 and his CSP certification in 2014.
He chases winning because of his want to win.
Brian Flynn
As vice president of sales at Sager Electronics, Brian Flynn leads an organization of 175 inside and outside sales representatives and is responsible for driving his team to achieve Sager’s sales goals. With more than 20 years of experience at Sager, Brian is well-versed in all areas of the business, from distribution to sales. Many of his years at Sager were spent in sales operations where he is credited with refining and implementing many of the company’s sales processes and reporting. Upon joining sales, he led a number of Sager’s service centers in multiple regions before returning to corporate to join the company’s executive leadership team.
Brian is a member of ERA’s 2018 Conference Breakouts Sub-Committee.
David Foster
David Foster is the Americas channel manager, industrial solutions, for Sensata Technologies in Attleboro, Mass. David has been a student of the channel for more than 35 years. Starting in the recent college graduate program at what was then called Hamilton Avnet, David spent many years calling on small and start-up accounts in New England.
Cesare Giammarco
Cesare Giammarco has been in the field of sales and sales management since 1971, with 35 of those years in the electronic component industry. In those 35 years, he has instituted, managed and integrated manufacturers’ reps globally into multiple organizations.
Starting in 1984 with Elmwood Sensors, a privately owned global manufacturer of temperature sensing products, he led successful integration of the rep sales model through four acquisitions of this business, culminating with Honeywell Sensing and Controls in 2002. He retired from Honeywell in May 2015 and is now a special consultant to ERA on best practices to further facilitate the rep sales model.
Cesare has been recognized over the course of his career for innovative and mutually beneficial sales rep management practices and procedures that reinforce the rep model with manufacturers.
He holds a B.A. in economics and an MBA from Bryant University. He resides in Cranston, R.I., with his wife Angela. They have three children and two grandchildren.
Adam Glazer
Breakout Seminar – Reviewing, Revising and Negotiating Sales Rep Agreements
Adam J. Glazer, Esq., maintains a national litigation practice, including representing sales representatives from diverse industries. He is a partner in the law firm of Schoenberg Finkel Newman & Rosenberg, LLC (SFNR) in Chicago, known as the “go-to” firm for sales reps. SFNR is a national leader in providing legal services to reps, ranging from the sale or acquisition of a rep firm, to estate planning and succession planning, to recovering unpaid commissions through litigation or otherwise.
Adam has litigated sales rep claims of every stripe, from breach of contract actions to claims brought under various states’ Sales Representative Acts to common law claims. He has successfully tried actions to verdict to recover rep commissions, including recovering punitive damages and attorney’s fees. He also negotiates and drafts sales rep contracts and rarely endorses a post-termination non-compete provision for reps. Adam consults with many sales rep associations, is a frequent speaker at annual conferences, and authors articles on sales rep law for rep publications.
Adam graduated from the Northwestern University School of Law, where he served on the National Trial Team. Before joining SFNR, he worked for two of Chicago’s largest law firms and in-house for an international insurance group. He has tried cases across the country, and he also arbitrates and mediates business disputes. Adam maintains a general commercial litigation practice with a focus on litigating sales rep claims and other business-related actions. For the past 17 years, he has also served as an adjunct professor of law at Northwestern, teaching courses in trial practice, business litigation and civil discovery.
Holly Good
Holly Good is the national distribution manager for Cornell Dubilier Electronics, Inc., a leading manufacturer of power capacitors. Holly has been with Cornell Dubilier for six years and previously held roles in product marketing management and inside sales leadership.
Prior to joining Cornell Dubilier, Holly’s work experience included managing the New England sales territory for Carlton Bates Corporation, various roles in sales and operations with Sager Electronics and sales and distribution support for the New England-based manufacturers’ representative firm Norris and Associates.
Holly is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University where she studied organizational leadership and marketing.
Richard Greaves
Breakout Seminar – Are You Maximizing Sales Collaboration with the Latest Cloud Tools?
Richard Greaves is senior partner and co-founder of Empowering Systems, Inc., which was established in 1994 to help manufacturers and manufacturers’ representatives automate their sales processes with technology solutions.
Today, Empowering Systems continues its focus on sales analytics and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. The company provides cloud-based business applications, planning and implementation services, as well as online training and technology support for manufacturers and representatives.
Rich focuses on helping customers take advantage of Empowering Systems’ solutions to achieve success in their businesses.
Outside of Empowering Systems, Rich enjoys time with his family, woodworking and theater. On many weekends, Rich can be found building scenery in his wood shop.
Tom Griffin, CPMR
Tom Griffin, CPMR, is the co-founder and president of Catalyst Sales, Inc., a 15-person manufacturers’ representative company serving Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and the western Pennsylvania territory. Formed in 1988, Catalyst Sales represents semi-conductor, passive and electromechanical companies. Tom serves on many rep councils for his principals. He was also the chairman of the 2016 ERA Conference Committee.
Amy Hain
Amy Hain is the director of global accounts for RFMW, with responsibility for strategic global OEM and EMS accounts and ensuring the smooth transition of business between regions.
Amy has served in sales and management positions in manufacturing and distribution companies, primarily focused in the RF wireless and interconnect industries, for the past 18 years. During that time, her emphasis has been on identifying opportunities and coordinating efforts among manufacturers, reps and distributors across regions in order to optimize customer support.
Tess Hill
Presentation of the 2018 Tess Hill Award to Kathie Cahill
At last year’s 48th Management and Marketing Conference, held in Austin, Texas, Feb. 26-28, the Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) presented its first annual Tess Hill Award to ERA staff member Tess Hill, who has more than 50 years of devoted service to the association.
This award was created to honor Hill and others who succeed her for their dedication, dependable work and years of loyalty to ERA.
ERA CEO Walter Tobin said, “The Tess Hill Award will be presented annually to an individual who has worked tirelessly to advance the initiatives and spirit of ERA.”
Tobin described, “To receive this prestigious award, the individual needs to possess and portray a ‘can do’ attitude while winning others over to support whatever challenges or programs are presented to him/her. The individual needs to have that special trait to have others want to assist without even being asked. These traits so accurately reflect the person for whom this annual award is so aptly named, Tess Hill.”
Byron Holloway
Breakout Seminar – Excel: Tips and Tricks for Busy Salespeople
Byron Holloway is a sales engineer at Fralia Company & Associates, a manufacturers’ rep firm based in the Dallas area. He has been involved in the electronics industry since 1993 and has worked in all facets of the supply chain, including for manufacturers, distributors and representatives.
He holds a BSEE and was a Microsoft-certified trainer for M.S. Office products.
Byron will help attendees in his breakout understand how to take the mountain of data received each month and turn it into actionable information that can be used to better manage customers and principals.
Alex Iuorio
Alex Iuorio is a 30+-year veteran of the high technology distribution industry and is now the senior vice president, supplier development, for Avnet Electronics. He has held various previous positions within Avnet and prior to that, with Hall-Mark Electronics, which was acquired by Avnet in 1993.
He has been headquartered in four different U.S. markets with experiences ranging from inside sales to area vice president. Prior to his move to corporate, Alex’s last field role was as vice president / area director for the west, which included Avnet’s Silicon Valley operations during its unprecedented period of growth at the end of the century.
Beyond Avnet, Alex has served as senior vice president of strategic business development for software solutions provider Azerity, a leader in creating innovative solutions for the business problems that face semiconductor manufacturers in our global marketplace.
Today, Alex leads the supplier and business development organizations within Avnet, coordinating all domestic and global initiatives with respect to those responsibilities.
He holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois, with fields of concentration in mathematics, economics and political science.
He resides in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his wife of 30 years, Barbara. They have two children, Anna (28) and Michael (25).
Gabrielle Jenkins
Gabrielle Jenkins is a business professional with more than 25 years of diverse experience in Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial environments in public and privately held organizations spanning the technology, digital media, manufacturing, retail, supply chain and financial services industries. Her expertise is in leadership growth and maximizing employee ROI.
In her role at RM Boston, she has worked with a broad range of publicly and privately-held companies providing talent management and organizational effectiveness solutions. Prior to joining RM Boston, Gabrielle served as president of Bridenbaugh Partners Inc., a consulting firm that helps companies maximize their return on their biggest investment, their people, utilizing such tools as consulting, behavior and value assessments, job analysis training and development.
For nine years, Gabrielle served as a member of the senior management team of a privately held wholesale distributor. During her tenure, the company’s revenue grew from $90 million to $380 million, and the number of employees rose from 225 to more than 600.
Gabrielle spent the initial portion of her career as an HR professional leading recruitment, compensation, training and organizational development programs for a number of growing firms. She led, developed and implemented programs focused on talent management, sales force effectiveness and leadership development which resulted in significant growth in sales, productivity and profitability.
She is a graduate of Lehigh University and a certified professional behavior, values and attributes analyst. She has led lectures in a variety of public forums, including the BIO International Convention, Association for Corporate Growth, Tufts University and the Technology Capital Network at MIT.
Graham Kilshaw
Graham Kilshaw is the CEO of ITEM Media, a marketing agency and publisher that services the electronics industry with sales-driven marketing strategies and its media brands Interference Technology (dedicated to EMI/EMC) and Electronics Cooling (dedicated to thermal management).
From his 20 years’ experience as CEO, Graham has developed a comprehensive understanding of the business needs of the U.S. and international electronics industry. Combined with his background in sales, media and marketing, Graham has transitioned ITEM Media from a traditional print publisher to a marketing powerhouse specializing in multi-channel marketing, events, content development and sales enablement — all for its clients within the electronics equipment, components, materials, software and testing service spaces.
Michael Knight
General Session – Profiling Tomorrow’s Customers and the Supply Chain They Will Need
Michael Knight is the senior vice president of TTI Americas, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, and is responsible for product management, corporate marketing and sales for key vertical markets. He also is responsible for mergers and acquisitions at TTI, and he heads the newly-formed TTI Semiconductor Group, which consists of two acquisitions — Symmetry Electronics in North America and Changnam in Korea.
Michael has worked in the electronic components industry since the mid-1980s. Prior to joining TTI Americas, he worked for a number of distributors and component manufacturers, including a manufacturers’ rep firm in Northern California.
He has held a variety of national and global leadership roles in sales, marketing, operations and general management. In the late 1990s, Michael launched a successful tech start-up in the semiconductor materials space.
Mike Lasley
Mike Lasley’s experience in the electronics industry spans some 40 years. He has held positions in materials management at Datapoint Corp., as well as field sales positions in the distribution channel at Sterling Electronics. For the majority of his career, Mike has held multiple positions at ION Associates and became president of the firm about 25 years ago. Under his leadership, ION has become an international company and one of the largest, most productive and most recognized manufacturers’ representative firms in the industry.
Mike has advised numerous senior level executives in publicly traded companies during his career. He has spoken at industry events in North America, Europe and Asia. He is on the board of a high-tech firm and is a continual “student” in the study of sales. Mike has a B.S. from the University of Texas and was the recipient of the Robert A. Welsh Fellowship for studies in chemistry.
John Mitchell
Breakout Seminar – Cloud Computing and the Makeup of the Salesperson of the Future
John Mitchell, the CEO of Repfabric, delivers advanced technology solutions to cure many of the challenges today’s salespeople face.
He owned a 10-man rep firm in Florida specializing in semiconductors and electro-mechanical components for 12 years. Prior to his years in the rep firm, John was a leading specialist in process efficiency at Accenture and Software AG for clients such as EBay, Bank of America, Western Digital and Jabil. He sold his rep firm in 2016 to pursue the culmination of his experience as a salesperson, rep owner and software process expert.
In addition to rep trade organization meetings, John has spoken at the 2017 Artificial Intelligence Summit, and he is a regular lecturer at the University of South Florida School of Engineering.
Holly Myers, CPMR
Breakout Seminar – Sales Techniques Swap Shop
Holly Myers, CPMR, joined North Carolina-based Wallace Electronic Sales as the sales and marketing manager in 2005. She received her CPMR certification in 2011.
Holly served as the chair of the 2017 ERA Conference Committee and is the co-chair of the 2018 ERA Conference Breakouts Sub-Committee. She was the recipient of the 2015 Jess Spoonts ERA White Pin Scholarship Award.
Gerry Newman
Breakout Seminar – Reviewing, Revising and Negotiating Sales Rep Agreements
Gerry Newman is a practicing attorney in Chicago, Ill., and a senior partner in the law firm of Schoenberg, Finkel, Newman & Rosenberg, LLC. The firm engages in the corporate and general practice of law, and it has been general counsel for numerous trade associations and their members for more than 40 years. Gerry and his law partner, Adam Glazer, focus on all phases of sales rep law, corporate and business law.
He has written many articles dealing with rep issues, and he has conducted numerous seminars for trade and professional associations on manufacturer-rep-principal issues and general business matters.
Gerry’s areas of expertise include trade association representation, sales rep matters, commission collection issues, corporate mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buy-outs, business continuation and succession plans and financing, business counseling, estate planning and intellectual property matters.
Kate Rhoten
Breakout Seminar – Fuel Up to Power Up
Kate Rhoten is the executive director of MRERF/IPA. MRERF/IPA partners with associations within the manufacturers’ representative business model in a variety of industries to provide educational materials and professional development through certification.
Prior to joining MRERF/IPA, Kate worked in various fields ranging from computer video to financial services to consulting in educational software. Throughout her 20-year career, Kate has refined her passion for relationship building and consultative selling.</p> <p>Kate has also been involved with nonprofit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the Center Grove Education Foundation. With Habitat for Humanity, she was a family services volunteer and financial trainer, providing a financial foundation for new homeowners. She was also a part of the first ever all-women build in Johnson County, Indiana.
As part of the Center Grove Education Foundation, Kate was chaired the executive committee for the largest fundraising event of the year, the Gala for the Grove. In this role, Kate partnered with many community leaders and business owners to raise funds to provide grant funding for various student enrichment programs.
Kate has earned two bachelor’s degrees, one in journalism and the other in speech communication. Kate lives in the Denver foothills with her husband Ryan and sons Noah and Seth, where she enjoys hiking and exploring the Rocky Mountains.
Bryan Shirley, CPMR
Breakout Seminar – How Changes Have Impacted the Buying, Selling and/or Merging of Rep Firms
Inspiring people with creative collaboration, Bryan C. Shirley, CPMR, excels at bringing teams to significantly higher levels of efficiency, productivity and success. He consults with hundreds of rep companies on buy-sell-merge issues and manufacturers on sales boost programs and other sales and marketing topics. Bryan has been presenting since 1992 to various associations, sales organizations, manufacturers and manufacturers’ trade associations. His high energy and open approach cause all participants to engage with solid candor.
Bryan is a graduate of Virginia Tech, a visiting professor at the University of Texas in Austin where he teaches courses for the CPMR (Certified Professional Manufacturers’ Representative) program. He also teaches the Manufacturers’ Best Practices course for MRERF (Manufacturers’ Representatives Educational Research Foundation).
He is published in various industries’ sales and trade journals and has served on many boards of directors and executive committees, including the ERA Executive Committee. He is also the former president/CEO of MANA ( Manufacturers’ Agents National Association) and former executive director of AIM/R (Association of Independent Manufacturers’ Representatives).
Bryan was an ERA rep for 22 years in the Philadelphia-Baltimore-Washington territory and was the president/CEO of the Colrud Corporation, a Philadelphia-based manufacturers’ representative organization.
He enjoys golf, snow skiing, fine food and wine and, mostly, connecting with people.
John Simari
John Simari held a range of sales and marketing positions at Texas Instruments (TI) prior to his retirement in 2016 after a 37-year career. For most of that time, John was a key contributor to TI’s worldwide distribution program.
John has held positions as worldwide distribution director, Americas distribution director and worldwide account manager for distributor and OEM accounts. During his tenure, the industry saw significant consolidation from local/regional distributors to global full-service and online distributors, as well as the emergence of a modern distribution program in Asia.
John has been an active contributor to industry activities, having served for eight years on the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) Board of Directors and Foundation Board. He also is a business leadership center instructor at the SMU Cox School of Business in Dallas.
John holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of Dallas. He lives in Plano, Texas.
Mike Swenson, CPMR
Mike Swenson, CPMR, is the president of the Mel Foster Company, a manufacturers’ representative firm for electronic components and embedded solutions in the upper Midwest. He has been with Mel Foster for 32 years and is active on rep councils for the lines the firm represents.
Mike served on the executive committee and board of the ECIA (Electronic Components Industry Association), was the ECIA Executive Conference program chair in 2013 and received a distinguished service award for his efforts. He is a past participant in ERA Conference sessions on technology use in rep firms and panel discussions focused on distributors and reps working together.
Mike is a B.S.B. graduate of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Chuck Tanzola, CPMR
Breakout Seminar – Global Principals and Suppliers: Addressing Cultural Differences and Diversity
Chuck Tanzola, CPMR, is the vice president of business development for the Fusion Sourcing Group, Inc., a multi-territory representative firm located in the Northeast.
Originally hired as a distributor coordinator, over his 37 years in the representative business he has held numerous positions involving sales, sales management and channel management.
He is currently ERA’s senior VP / fiscal and legal and has previously served as the senior VP / industry. A past officer, president, and national delegate of the Empire State ERA Chapter, Chuck was the recipient of the 2008 Jess Spoonts ERA White Pin Award, recognizing individual ERA members who have devoted exceptional time and effort to ERA activities on the local and/or national levels.
e earned his CMPR designation in 2003 and is a graduate of Cornell University, having studied economics and electrical engineering. He is married and has one son, is an avid sports enthusiast, and is active within his local church, having served for 25 years as an elder and treasurer.
Walter Tobin
ERA Update – What’s Up … What’s New with ERA?
Walter E. Tobin is the chief executive officer of ERA. He is an electronics industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and executive/corporate management positions. Before joining ERA in 2015, he was the corporate vice president of Future Electronics.
Prior management positions included 12 years at Pioneer-Standard (acquired in 2003 by Arrow Electronics) and 15 years at Arrow Electronics. Walt holds both a B.S. and MBA from Boston College and is a former U.S. Army Captain.
Cameron Ward
Breakout Seminar – Innovation and Disruption: Adapting to Change
Cameron Ward leads the global innovation initiatives for Electrocomponents, which supports more than 700,000 design engineers, makers, inventors and students through its DesignSpark community. The company’s global innovation efforts encompass technologies and companies in the areas of the Internet of Things, Blockchain, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, along with other emerging disruptive technologies to create new services and solutions for customers and partners.
Prior to joining Electrocomponents, Cameron held various senior executive roles at Flex, Newark element14, Arrow Electronics and Future Electronics in the U.K., Canada, U.S., Hong Kong and Singapore.
Tom Wichert
Tom Wichert, vice president of sales at TDK-Lambda Americas, has extensive experience in managing a complex multi-tiered sales channel, as well as executive experience in international and domestic sales. Tom specializes in strategic relationships, business plans and new product development.
He enjoys managing and mentoring people to perform to the best of their abilities. Tom has an MBA in marketing from Hofstra University and a B.S.E.E. from West Virginia University.
