General Sessions & Special Presentations
General sessions and presentations are listed by date and include detailed descriptions as well as links to presentation files and audio content (if available).
Click on any speaker/presenter name to link to his/her biography.
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Table Leader Notes from all General Sessions
Click session title to download files.
All Star Workforce: Tools and Strategies for Finding, Training and Engaging Today’s Talent
Speaker: Gabrielle Jenkins, managing partner, Resource Management of Boston
Economic Update: What’s in Store in 2018 and Beyond?
Speaker: Thomas W. Derry, CEO, Institute for Supply Management® (ISM)
Five Steps to Better Work-Life Balance – Leadership Success in Work and Life
Speaker: Jim Bird, founder and CEO, WorkLifeBalance.com, Inc.
Profiling Tomorrow’s Customers and the Supply Chain They Will Need
Speaker: Michael Knight, senior vice president Americas, TTI, Inc.
Wayne Cotter
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Opening Keynote: Tools of Our Trade — Constructing a Successful Future
Speaker: Wayne Cotter, humorist and former design engineer
Wayne Cotter 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. Be ready to be part of this program since Wayne will be conducting video interviews of attendees at the Sunday Welcome Reception.
Special Presentation: ERA Update – What’s Up … What’s New with ERA?
Speaker: Walter Tobin, CEO, ERA
Walter Tobin presented an update of ERA’s activities during the past year, including membership statistics, new developments within the membership structure and changes in ERA staff.
Thomas Derry
Economic Update: What’s in Store in 2018 and Beyond?
Speaker: Thomas W. Derry, CEO, Institute for Supply Management® (ISM)
This program will focus not only on an overview of the North American and global economy “from 50,000 feet” but also on electronics industry trends and specific advice that attendees can put to practical use. Recommendations will be made about the information sources that attendees should be watching on a regular basis to help them make decisions about their own companies.
Gabrielle Jenkins
All Star Workforce: Tools and Strategies for Finding, Training and Engaging Today’s Talent
Speaker: Gabrielle Jenkins, managing partner, Resource Management of Boston
Fact: Many companies are struggling to find qualified talent. How can your company stand out in the crowd of employers who are hiring?
Fact: There is a need to bring more diversity (age, gender, race) into the predominantly male-dominated electronics industry. Yet many companies and/or manager have no idea where to begin.
Fact: Neither small nor large organizations can afford to make a bad hire; resources are scarce.
Fact: There are generational differences in motivation, world view and work ethic/rewards, making it challenging to bridge that gap.
If you are reading this and nodding “yes,” then don’t miss this session which will provide tools and strategies for companies of all sizes. It will be loaded with insights and advice relating to all of these vital talent issues.
Special Presentation: 2017 Tess Hill Award Presentation to Kathie Cahill
Speaker: Tess Hill, ERA Conference Coordinator
Tess Hill presented the 2018 Tess Hill Award to Kathie Cahill, three-time ERA conference committee chair, for her years of dedicated service to ERA and her commitment to furthering education and lifelong learning in the electronics industry.
Jim Bird
Five STEPs to Better Work-Life Balance – Leadership Success in Work and Life
Speaker: Jim Bird, founder and CEO, WorkLifeBalance.com, Inc.
Since 1991, Jim Bird and WorkLifeBalance.com, Inc. have worked with some of the world’s largest organizations to help their personnel obtain greater value and balance from their professional and personal lives. In this customized workshop for ERA, Jim will deliver strategies and specific applications that conference attendees can use and bring home to their teammates. A workbook will be provided, and attendees will receive an individual subscription to the Work-Life Balance Dashboard, a resource to assist in meeting personal goals.
Michael Knight
Profiling Tomorrow’s Customers and the Supply Chain They Will Need
Speaker: Michael Knight, senior vice president Americas, TTI, Inc.
Michael Knight, always one of ERA’s most highly-rated speakers, understands that the
nature of doing business keeps evolving, and he knows that reps, manufacturers and
distributors must retool to remain relevant. His vision of tomorrow’s customers and the supply chain they will need is based on surveys, focus groups and countless conversations with knowledgeable sources. In addition to future projections and profiles, he will provide attendees with a tool to think critically about the electronics industry’s future and how to proactively respond.
