Kathie Cahill, CPMR, of Net Sales Company presents the third annual Tess Hill Award to Bob Evans, CPMR, of EK Micro at the 2019 ERA Conference.
At its 50th Anniversary Conference, held in Austin, Texas, February 24-26, the Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) presented the third annual Tess Hill Award to Bob Evans, CPMR, president of EK Micro in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.
Evans was recognized for his nearly 20 years of contribution to ERA at the chapter and national levels, his long-standing commitment to education as the current chair of the Chapter Leadership Council, and his service to both the Chicagoland-Wisconsin Chapter and the ERA Executive Committee.
This award was created in 2017 to honor Tess Hill, a long-time ERA staff member. It recognizes individuals for their longevity of service to ERA, for inspiring volunteerism in its highest form and for their dedication to ERA’s educational mission.
“To say that it was humbling for me to receive an award bearing Tess Hill’s name, and one previously bestowed upon Tess and Kathie Cahill, would be a gross understatement,” Evans said. “In my mind, they have always been foundational figures of ERA, setting a standard of excellence rarely equaled. To be mentioned in their company was an amazing surprise to me, for which I am very grateful.”
ERA CEO Walter E. Tobin added, “Bob is a tireless advocate for ERA. His commitment to serving and strengthening our organizations through his work on the Chapter Leadership Council, the Chapter Officers Leadership Training (COLT) program and the Executive Committee makes him the natural choice as the recipient of the 2019 Tess Hill Award.”
Evans also is a recipient of the 2014 Ray Hall Spirit of ERA Award and 2011 Jess Spoonts ERA White Pin Award.
ERA Elects New Officers for 2019-2021 Term
In other news ERA announced that its board of directors elected new national officers for the 2019-2021 term during its February 2019 meeting. They are:
- Chairman of the board — Dave Norris of Norris and Associates.
- President — Chuck Tanzola, CPMR, of the Fusion Sourcing Group.
- Senior vice president/fiscal and legal — John O’Brien, CPMR, of Coakley, Boyd and Abbett.
- Senior vice president/education — Tom Griffin, CPMR, of Catalyst Sales, Inc.
- Senior vice president/membership — Cameron English, CPMR, of English Technical Sales
- Senior vice president/industry —Bob Evans, CPMR, of EK Micro.
- Senior vice president at large — David Fitzgerald, CPMR, of WESCO Sales Group, Inc.
Griffin, English and Fitzgerald are new members of the association’s executive committee. Norris succeeds the outgoing chairman, Dan Parks, CPMR, of West Electronic Solutions, who concluded seven years as a national officer. The continuing executive committee members are: Ken Bellero, president of Schaffner EMC, Inc., the manufacturer delegate; Chris Beeson, executive vice president of sales and supplier management for Digi-Key Electronics, the distributor delegate; and ERA CEO Walter Tobin, who serves as an ex officio member.
About ERA
The 84-year-old ERA is the international trade organization for professional field sales companies in the global electronics industries, manufacturers who go to market through representative firms and global distributors. It is the mission of ERA to support the professional field sales function through programs and activities that educate, inform and advocate for manufacturers’ representatives, the principals they represent, and the distributors who are reps’ partners in local territories. For more information about ERA, visit www.era.org.
