NEMRA Welcomes 8 New Reps / Manufacturers to Leadership Team

Last week NEMRA, in preparation for its 2023 Annual Conference, NEMRA announced the new rep members of its Board of Directors as well as new manufacturer members of its NMG (NEMRA Manufacturer Group.)

According to the press release:

:The National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) announced the appointment of four officers to its Board of Directors and four Executive Committee Members to the NEMRA Manufacturers Group (NMG).

New NEMRA BoD Members – Scott, Larry, Chris and Christy

Effective February 8^th, 2023, new appointments to NEMRA’s Board of Directors include;

• Scott Lessing, CPMR, Ewing-Foley, Inc. Cupertino, CA;
• Christopher Bogie, United Electrical Sales, Atlanta, GA;
• Larry Benner, CPMR, Rouzer Group, Minneapolis, MN; and
• Christy Tilton, Signify, Bridgewater Township, NJ.

“I am very pleased to welcome these newest members to our Board of Directors,” said Jim Johnson, President of NEMRA. “They each have a unique background, with diverse experiences that make them an asset to NEMRA’s Board of Directors and to the organization as a whole.” Click here to see all of the members of the NEMRA board.

New appointments to the NMG Executive Committee include

• Stu Serota, Vice President of US Electrical Distribution Sales, Leviton
• Molly Jenks, Vice President of Sales, Bussmann at Eaton
• Kevin Heffernan, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Encore Wire and
• Chris Greene, President, Underground Devices.

Click here to see other members of the NMG.

In speaking about the NMG, Johnson said, “Reps and manufacturers rely on one another for growing market share and in developing channel relationships. Each of these individuals embody this understanding and bring talent, expertise and energy to the committee.”  NMG provides its manufacturer members with a forum where manufacturers and representatives can improve communications, reduce transaction costs, add value, and increase opportunities for professional development.

NEMRA is a powerful voice in the electrical industry and an advocate for the independent manufacturers’ representative and the manufacturer affiliates. The NMG is an allied group of manufacturers who go to market principally with independent manufacturer’s representatives.”

Thoughts

• First, congratulations to all. This is a strong group of industry leaders and, more importantly, “thinkers” who want to give back to the rep community, and the industry, to ensure that the manufacturer sales channel remains strong and is committed to driving demand for manufacturer products.
• Both Scott Lessing and Christy Tilton have been involved on NEMRA’s Strategic Advisory Council.
• The firms that each of the reps represent are examples of the Rep of the Future and advocates of the model. For those looking to better understand how the model can benefit them, I encourage you to reach out to these new representatives and network with them at NEMRA 2023. (and if you don’t have a copy of the report, stop by the Channel Marketing Group booth at NEMRA 2023 and I’ll make sure you get a copy.)
• Jim Johnson recently mentioned that, overall, membership has declined, due to manufacturer and rep consolidation, by 20% over the past 4 years, however, more manufacturers than every now employ an independent manufacturer rep network to drive demand for some, if not all, of their sales. The reason is that reps are a field force multiplier for manufacturers … able to connect with specifiers, engineers, influential 3rd parties (i.e. inspectors and similar), contractors (multiple levels) and distributors. Further, in addition to being brand ambassadors and revenue generators, reps are also frequently the first line of customer service for a manufacturer. And more recently, some are the first line of technical support. The five manufacturers who are becoming more involved in NEMRA recognize the growing importance of the independent manufacturer rep model, especially in the face of distributor consolidation.

With the addition of these advocates to the NEMRA leadership group, independent manufacturer representatives will continue to have a powerful voice in the industry as well as strong, independently-minded leaders who will share guidance with Jim Johnson to support the needs of all members.

Congratulations to the eight new members and I look forward to seeing you in Vegas.