The Evolution of an Association By Traci Matt STAFF WRITER Imagine a world where the only source of printed information for your business came from suppliers. A world where your peers were reluctant, if not downright unwilling, to ask questions or share information they had learned while attending the School of Hard Knocks (which was the only schooling available). A world where you could have been sitting in a movie next to the rebuilder across town and not even known who he was. It’s a far cry from the current scheme of the electrical rebuilding industry, where groups of rebuilders from across the globe “chat” in real-time, or post questions and get same-day responses via the Internet. Today rebuilders and even rival suppliers also meet face-to- face to display their wares, further their education, and work to solve industry- wide problems. This shift in focus began in a small town in Missouri in 1982, when Ralph Albares was selected to develop a telemarketing program for Juan and Carolyn Grube at JIMCO, Inc. After a short time in the industry, it became clear to Albares that there was a deep need for technical input and communication, as well as the exchange of ideas, strictly in the realm of electrical rebuilding. For many months they discussed the need for a newspaper directed to the electrical end of the aftermarket. Once the decision was made, Albares and his wife Margaret pumped out the first issue of the Electrical Rebuilder’s Exchange in only a couple of months. Albares’ idea of sharing information within the industry was so popular that in 1987 he began hosting an annual Saturday technical seminar for rebuilders. After three years these seminars developed into the first E+ Show, a regional trade show which featured not only exhibitors, but free seminars (the “plus” in E+). Attendance at the first show was over 750. “Ralph felt the need for more coordi- nation of training and education and that was his driving force,’ said long- time Exchange columnist and Electrical Rebuilder’s Association (ERA) board member Richard Vensel of Vensel Enterprises. “He was also a great moti- vator to get people to help him along the way. He even talked about forming an association. He enjoyed what he was doing but I think in the long term that’s what he would have done because he knew that some people just don’t gravi- tate to big, multi-faceted organizations. Ralph knew the little guys like to talk to other little guys.” According to Vensel, even when Albares attended the E+ Show during the last stages of cancer in 1991, “he was still smiling” because he knew he had started something that was making a difference. After Albares’ death, his step- daughter Polly Shea purchased the newspaper and trade show from her mother. Shea’s background in art, pub- lishing, advertising and trade shows made her a logical choice to carry the blazing family business torch. To Be of Service E+ Shows have been held on both coasts, Indianapolis, Fort Worth, Atlanta, Louisville, Kansas City, San Diego, Chicago and even Niagara Falls, Canada. Other than the first show held in Kansas City, attendance peaked again at 650 in King of Prussia, Pa. in 1994. As the industry began to suffer, so did Shea’s business. Before the 1999 show in Fort Worth, Texas, she was determined to draw more local rebuilders in and to ensure that what was being presented would help attendees stay in business so they could return the next year. This led to the first “planning meeting” which included suppliers and rebuilders who volunteered their time and resources to make it happen. “The whole point was to be of serv- ice. The first planning meeting was to actively seek ideas and support,’ said Shea. “It was invaluable to have these people tell me what the industry really needed and wanted. We talked about everything from door prizes to technical topics, and we’ve done it every year since then. This forum is where the idea of the hands-on training stations came about. We were just talking about how rebuilders in general don’t like to sit still and think, and voila, hands-on stations began to take shape. I ran with the idea and made it happen, but certainly wouldn’t have thought of it on my own.” At the planning meeting in Chicago in 2000, the topic of the day was how to reach rebuilders with more technical information. After a long debate, the Electrical Rebuilder’s Exchange Network (EREN) Web site was born. Today the site includes a current issue of the Exchange, archive of previously published technical arti- cles, active question and answer forum, sources guide, and a Tuesday night chat room. Alan Melton, owner of Northwest Regulator Supply and charter ERA board member, supervised the develop- ment and hosting of the site. “We needed the Web site to have a central location for information that was controlled by those of us in our industry. The Yahoo or APRA (Automotive Parts Rebuilders Association) sites have too many other things going on,” he said. “Polly (Shea),