ERA Talks

ERA Talks

Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) gives a voice not only to representatives but to the manufacturers and distributors who partner with them. ERA listens and responds to members and to the forces that impact the success of their companies. "ERA Talks" is a platform for learning and bringing industry professionals together.

Episodes

December 9, 2022 32 mins

On this episode of the ERA Talks podcast, Walter Tobin chats with Tim Kilfoil, President of JF Kilfoil Co., about the benefits of today’s bevy of digital marketing tools that are available for low to no-cost to manufacturers’ sales reps and the advantages of implementing these tools. Tim offers useful insights on how to get started on a digital marketing path and why sales reps today should be embracing this way of selling and conn...

Mark as Played

Tune into the latest episode of ERA Talks which explores in-depth how and why manufacturers’ reps are a perfect and immediate solution to a manufacturer’s need for territory coverage and new customer acquisition in light of the shortage of qualified sales professionals. These reps are “hiding in plain sight.” 

Don’t miss out on this important discussion, hosted by ERA’s CEO, Walter Tobin, and featuring guests Cameron English, Presid...

Mark as Played

Tune into the latest ERA Talks podcast, hosted by Walter Tobin, ERA CEO, and featuring a discussion with Holly Good of Cornell Dubilier Electronics, Holly Myers, CPRM of Genie Group, and Chris Straube, of Straube Associates Inc., to get a sneak peek of the 2022 ERA Virtual Sales Training – an online educational initiative to be hosted live Oct. 4 – 6. 

In this episode, you will learn more about the Virtual Sales Training event, it’s...

Mark as Played

ERA recently launched its newest initiative, the Mark Motsinger White Pin Internship Program, as a way to help the rep community attract, hire and retain college graduates into the rep model to bring new talent into the industry. This is an opportunity for college juniors or seniors to  work for a manufacturers’ representative firm over the summer months to gain a better understanding and hands-on experience of the electronic compo...

Mark as Played
January 27, 2022 10 mins

The 2022 ERA Conference will be its 53rd Conference, and our first time meeting in person since the 2020 Conference. The 55 ERA member volunteers have been diligently working over the past nine months to prepare a dynamic and engaging program. In this episode, you can get a sneak peek at what you can expect at this year’s event including information about the conference theme, speakers, sessions and new things attendees can expect!...

Mark as Played
October 19, 2021 11 mins

This episode of ERA Talks features ERA CEO Walter Tobin  and special guests Cam English, CPMR, President of English Technical Sales / ERA Sr. VP Industry, and Bob Evans who recently retired as President of EK Micro and who has supported ERA for over 20 years at the chapter and national levels including as former chair of the ERA Chapter Leadership Council.

Cam and Bob provide an update of the upcoming ERA Chapter Officers...

Mark as Played

On this episode of ERA Talks, Walter Tobin, CEO of ERA, Erin Collins, Events Coordinator of ERA and special guest Ellen Coan, Vice President Operations at C C Electro Sales, a second generation Electronics rep in the Midwest, and Sr. Vice President/Education of the ERA Board discuss the upcoming ERA Virtual Sales Training Event.

This premier event will be hosted online,  Sept. 21-23, 2021, and is specifically designed for...

Mark as Played

On this episode of ERA Talks ERA CEO Walter Tobin discusses "The Value of the Rep Model for Manufacturers" with ERA Consultants Cesare Giammarco and John Simari.

Giammarco and Simari offer insights into the seven key attributes of the Rep Model value proposition to manufacturers, including Expertise, Flexibility, Advocacy, Control, Market Coverage, Affordability and Demand Creation.  

Mark as Played

This episode of ERA Talks features Walter Tobin, CEO of ERA, and special guest Phil Gallagher, CEO of Avnet, who discuss "How Avnet Helps Its Customers and Suppliers Navigate Disruption."

Mark as Played
June 11, 2021 9 mins

In this episode of ERA Talks, Walter Tobin, CEO of ERA and special guest John Drabik, Senior Vice President Sales and Product Marketing - Americas at TTI, discuss TTI’s initiatives in 2021 and beyond. 

Mark as Played

Tune in to learn more about increasing productivity with tools you likely already have! 

This episode features Patrick Knoelke, Partner and Founder of Spyre Group. Spyre Group, a digital design and technology company, and Silver-level Microsoft Partner. 

In this episode, Patrick discusses the unique features of Microsoft 365 and properly using the applications that many are already paying for but not fully utilizi...

Mark as Played
December 18, 2020 12 mins

 The Spark Pro­fes­sion­al Devel­op­ment Pro­gram is designed to help up-and-com­ing professionals grow their abil­i­ties and advance their careers in the elec­tron­ics com­po­nents indus­try. 

This episode features John O'Brien, VP at Coakley, Boyd and Abbett and a member of the Spark Planning Committee as well as Jennifer Smith, President of JMS Syngery and the Spark Director.

Tune in to learn more about ...

Mark as Played

Planned by more than 50 hardworking ERA member volunteers, the 2021 ERA Virtual Conference will be the 52nd conference and the first virtual conference in the history of ERA. This episode of ERA Talks focuses on the new virtual platform of the conference, what to expect, the committee make-up, takeaways, and more. 

Tune in and get a peek behind the curtain as Stephanie Tierney, Membership Director for ERA, interviews Erin Collins, E...

Mark as Played

In this episode of ERA Talks, Stephanie Tierney, ERA membership director, interviews Jackie Mattox, founder and president of Women in Electronics (WE).

Tune in to learn more about WE's gender parity efforts, goals, expansion, history, and the collaboration with industry leaders and associations to better the electronics industry.

Mark as Played
September 20, 2020 21 mins

In this episode of ERA Talks, ERA Membership Director Stephanie Tierney, interviews Moe Elghrawi, Senior Electrical Engineer for Aptiv, and Chad Bryner, Senior Hardware Engineer for Sentient Energy.

This lively discussion focuses on the answers to what customers want and need from a manufacturers’ rep in this new abnormal. Tune in to learn more about what customers really want from the rep community.


Mark as Played
August 26, 2020 23 mins

In this episode of ERA Talks, ERA's CEO, Walter Tobin, interviews Dr. George John, Professor and General Mills-Gerot Chair in Marketing for the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

This lively discussion focuses on the academic view of the rep model. Tune in to learn more about the benefits of the rep model, sales trends, digital transformations, the channel structure, and more.    

Mark as Played
August 9, 2020 19 mins

In this episode of ERA Talks, ERA's Membership Director, Stephanie Tierney, interviews ERA’s Consultant Cesare Giammarco.

Cesare’s white paper “Line Conflicts: Navigating to a Mutually Beneficial Resolution” was featured in the summer issue of The Representor magazine and can be found on the ERA website as well. This episode dives deeper into the topic! 

Mark as Played
June 8, 2020 15 mins

The world has seen a great deal of transformation in the last couple of months and our industry is no different. In this episode, Alan Ahern, President of Crowley Associates and Mike Swenson, President at Mel Foster Company, discuss the transformation of the rep role and their plans to better business in the future.

Mark as Played
May 5, 2020 16 mins

The month of May in our industry usually brings EDS plans for back-to-back meetings, dinner outings, and a very hectic schedule. But with the EDS Summit canceled this year, ERA members are taking the time to reflect on EDS from home … or from their couches. In this ERA Talks episode, “EDS Reflections — From the Couch,” Stephanie Tierney, Membership Director for ERA, interviews two industry leaders about what they will miss, what th...

Mark as Played

Stephanie Tierney, Membership Director for ERA, interviews industry leaders about building business and brand awareness virtually. Graham Kilshaw, CEO at Lectrix, Rob Tavi (Sohrab Tavakoli), Managing Director at IBS Electronics and Matthew Amato, Global Marketing and Public Relations Manager at IBS Electronics discuss promoting brand image on social networks, using video, webinars and more! 

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

    24/7 News: The Latest

    The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    Latino USA

    Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.