Good Attendance at Annual Conference – 1958
The May 1958 conference was held at the Alpine Inn just north of Montreal in the Laurentians. Dudley Mendels, (then President of Ideal Electric Supply in Montreal), was Eastern Vice-President of CEDA and conference chair. Registration was in excess of available accommodation and many delegates were housed in nearby motels and resorts.
“At this meeting we voted to continue a modest budget of $4,000 for national advertising to further the prestige of our association and its members.
“Our greatest concern at this time was a disintegration of the traditional sales avenues by which electrical products were sold through electrical wholesalers to electrical contractors and industrial accounts.Some manufacturers were beginning to market their products through what at that time were termed ‘fringe’ wholesalers, such businesses as discount building supply outlets, auto supply stores, independent fixture showrooms, etc. To counteract this, some wholesalers were trying to broaden their market by selling direct to the consumer.
“The electrical contractors were also concerned over this turn of events and over-reacted by making demands on wholesalers which were ill advised, arbitrary, and illegal. Their actions eventually brought them to the attention of the Federal Combines Department; they were charged, tried, and fined and their officers reprimanded.”
The annual conference in Banff marked the Silver Anniversary of the association. President Don Hughes welcomed the 250 delegates, guests and spouses who attended the conference (an all-time high). In Hughes’ opinion, the association had achieved many important goals in its 25-year existence, the latest being a 2% cash discount when available from more than 200 manufacturers.
Source: CEDA: Fifty Years of Service – An Historical Review of the Canadian Electrical Distributors Association, 1934 to 1984, Kerrwil Publications. Please feel free to reach out to us any time if you have great photos, historical anecdotes or perspectives. We would love to hear from you; linegoyette@kerrwil.com.
