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provinces—two of which are islands. “Eachof these four provinces have very uniquepersonalities. We must adapt to each one inorder to gain confidence and have reasonableknowledge of their individual needsand expectations. I know in some Canadiansales territories this population base can becovered in a city. We are a regional rep firmand this gives us a certain level of continuityand allows for better management ofdiverse market segments.”Though the agency model in the electricalmarket is working well just about everywherein the country , Chamney pinpointssome stark realities in Eastern Canada.“Reps are embraced in some regions to agreater extent,” he comments. “In terms ofculture and language, Quebec in particularscares many manufacturers... where repsare often hired to help bridge the companyand provincial cultural dif ferences. Ontariois unusual in that it has most of the headoffices of ma nufacturers and distributors.Many manufacturers feel they need directcontrol in Ontario, opting for direct staf fhere and reps in all other territories. Ontario’ sindependent reps are working very hard tochange this viewpoint.”Nathalie Pilon, President, Thomas & Betts Canada,is pleased to announce the recentappointment of Richard (Rick) Gingras to the position of Director , Business ProcessImprovement, responsible for leading continuous improvement initiatives across salesand administrative processes.As Thomas & Betts’ operational link with electrical distribution,Rick’s role is to seek out opportunities to improve the overallcustomer experience using lean tools to reduce waste and toimprove, standardize and document business processes.Formerly Director of Logistics, Rick has been a member ofthe Thomas & Betts family since 1977. In 2003, Rick receivedhis black belt training in Lean Six-Sigma and has beeninstrumental in the roll-out of the Lean Six-Sigma culture withinThomas & Betts over the last eight years.This appointment reflects the importance Thomas & Bettsplaces on continuous improvement throughout the supplychain in order to continue delivering both top quality productsand superior service.Richard (Rick) GingrasDirector, Business Process ImprovementThomas & Betts CanadaThomas & Betts is a leading designer and manuf acturer of electrical components used in industrial,construction, communications and utility markets. With a portfolio of over 400,000 products marketed undermore than 40 premium brand names, Thomas & Betts products are found wherever electricity is used. With12 manufacturing facilities located across Canada, 80% of the Thomas & Betts products sold in Canada aremanufactured in Canada.w w w . t n b . c aThe CEMRA connectionDrawing representatives and manufacturersfrom across the country to worktogether to improve the electrical channel,the Canadian Electrical ManufacturesRepresentatives Association (CEMRA) promotesits members as industry stewardsand publishes guidelines to best practiceswithin the electrical profession. Based inToronto, this is the Canadian equivalent toNEMRA (National Electrical ManufacturersRepresentatives Association), and bothorganizations are closely linked.A division of the Supply & Distribution(S&D) Council of Electro-FederationCanada (EFC), CEMRA hosts annual conferencesfor education and networking tohelp strengthen members’ sales, marketingand management skills.“Our ethics statement, as in all committees,must be accepted voluntarily,” states Chamney.“In a nutshell, it tells us not to steal lines,and to be ethical in our business practices.Only true believers join the group. In manycases, manufacturers will only hire CEMRA/NEMRA reps due to our reputation.”Tuggle exalts CEMRA/NEMRA for providingthe tools to make an agency rep firm moreprofessional on both a systems and a saleslevel. “They are the guiding lights to our business,”he declares. “There are also numerousnetworking best practice groups and those provideus with the ability to use ideas from othersuccessful rep firms. The ethics guidelines arealso important as they provide a frameworkfor us to judge ourselves, our competitors andpotential new members, and to hold us all toa higher level of behaviour.”Commending his company’s connectionswith the association, Goupil says, “CEMRAhas given us a professional status that wouldhave been hard to acquire without its existence.It’s given us guidelines to grow andimprove the way we do things constantly.”Manufacturers are believers too. Independentreps are key to the Cooper Bussmann salesand marketing strategy. “At Bussmann, we havehistorically worked with agencies in Canadaand the U.S.,” says George Lundy, the company’snational sales manager, headquarteredin Mississauga. “The independents give us abigger bang for our buck. They are very efficientin terms of generating sales per client visit persalesman. They have created long-term relationshipswith customers; they have a deeperand better understanding of those customers’needs. They know their territory best.”Barry Marcus of Marcus T ransformeresteems his agencies. He has partnered with15 of them across North America. “For a midsizedfirm such as ours, I believe an agency isthe only way to go. From a dollars-and-centsperspective, agencies are the most cost-effectiveand affordable alternative to factory sales staf,”says the owner of the Montreal-based maker ofstandard and custom-built industrial controland distribution dry-type transformers for thecommercial, industrial and institutional sectors.“Our agents’ package of non-competing,compatible products—fuses and conduits, forinstance—is complementary to ours, and thathelps pull our products into the sale. It’s a winwinfor everyone in the process.”Roney views most reps as road warriors whoare highly trained, armed with the tools andintelligence to sell ef fectively. “Best-of-breedreps make things happen. Manufacturer representativesbuild and nurture their customerbase with meticulous care. They are the mainstayof the markets they serve. Factorysalespeople may come and go, but the topmanufacturer representatives have many yearsinvested in their territory. We work hard to sealthe deal for manufacturers and end-users—often with a smile and a handshake.”20 Spring 2011 • Distribution & Supply
CEMRA forumCEMRA’s growth & role in thenew Electrical SectionCindy DohertyThis year marks the last year of mytwo-year term as chair of CEMRA(Canadian Electrical ManufacturersRepresentatives Association,www.cemra.ca). I was the first to havea two-year term, and I found it verybeneficial, as it allowed continuity.I would like to extend special recognitionto the CEMRA board ofdirectors for its participation thispast year: (Western Canada) JohnBaron, Elect-Tech Sales; Ed Tuggle,D.A.D. Sales; Jim Modjeski, TitanMarketing Solutions; and Garry Pestaluky, Hi-TechSales; (Central Canada) Steve Collins, Collins Sales &Associates; Jean-Sébastien Bercier, Desdowd; (EasternCanada) Tony Munden, Munden Enterprises.Marc Laplante of Laplante et Associés also deservesthanks for his efforts representing Canadian reps onthe National Electrical Manufacturers RepresentativesAssociation (NEMRA) board. Thanks to Marcand his predecessors, we have full voting status onthe NEMRA board and enjo y many of the b enefitsof NEMRA membership, such as use of software,access to research and the Locator and, of course,the annual conference. It still amazes me how manypotential leads you can get by attending this eventand the S&D Conference every year!I would also like to extend a special thanks to T omBrockway of Brockway Enterprises and his predecessorsfor their work in getting reps to the table and allowingus to gain credibility in the industry. Also, complimentsto Tom for his three years of CEMRA representation onthe Supply & Distribution Council executive.We have come a long way as an organization; itwas back in the 1990s when we first approached theSupply & Distribution (S&D) Council to come intothe organization under their wing. W e now have apermanent position on the S&D Council, and thatposition will work up through theranks to become chair of the newElectrical Council Executive. S&Dactivity, you will learn that S&Dand EEMAC (Electrical EquipmentManufacturers Associationof Canada) are joining to form onecouncil—the Electrical Council—and manufacturer reps will be oneof the three key cornerstones ofthat new organization.I’d like to extend special recognitionto Ed Tuggle for his lead in the HSTproject. CEMRA commissioned an accounting firm toresearch required HST payments. This af fects repswho sell products where the office is located in an HSTprovince. (This also affects all other companies. We willmake the report available to everyone shortly.)I am pleased to remind you that the 2010 recipientof the CEMRA Academic Leadership Award wentto Curtis Flavel, a 4th year Electrical Engineeringstudent specializing in Power at the University ofSaskatchewan. Electricity has “fascinated” Curtis formany years, as he grew up being mentored by hisfather and grandfather, both of whom have worked inthe industry. Curtis’s father is an employee of EatonElectrical. We wish Curtis continued success in hisstudies and look forward to his future contributionsto the electrical industry. Also, CEMRA continues tosupport the EFC Foundation Scholarship Programagain this year.In closing, I look forward to other membersbecoming more involved in CEMRA and urgeeveryone to attend our next major meeting in Junein Quebec City at the S&D Conference.I have met a lot of industry peers as a CEMRAmember and it has helped me tremendously in mybusiness and my overall understanding of the industry.Thanks for your support.Manufacturerreps will be oneof the three keycornerstonesof that neworganization.Cindy Doherty isthe CEMRA chairfor 2009/2010, andmanages the Wire andCable Dept. at IntralecElectrical Products.She can be reached atcdoherty@intralec.com.Distribution & Supply • Spring 2011 21
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