Co-Founder Jerry Hein Retires from ECSI

BLOOMINGTON, MN – March 2025 – With mixed emotions, we announce the retirement of ECSI’s co-founder and President, Jerry Hein, effective March 21. Please join us in thanking him for 28 years of dedicated service and in wishing him a joyful retirement.

From a young age, Jerry was fascinated with the inner working of electronics. Self-taught through books and magazines, he fixed radios and TVs for friends and neighbors, and aspired to one day have his own business.

After working for a few limited energy companies, he and Rich Hanson started ECSI in March 1997 with the goal of being the best employer possible. He said, “we always empowered our employees to be creative and curious about the industry. We started with fire alarm and security, and as the industry evolved so did ECSI. Since day one, we have been very dedicated to our employees, who in turn, mirror that dedication back to the company.”

Starting a business was not without its challenges. The first five years were the toughest – both Jerry and Rich had young children at home, making life/work balance difficult, and ECSI lacked the capitol needed for growth.

When Hunt Electric acquired ESCI in January 2010, the business really started gaining momentum. Since then, ECSI’s service portfolio, staff, and client base have grown exponentially. About client relationships, Jerry said “Since ECSI’s inception, we treated every customer with appreciation and looked at them as a partner rather than a customer.”   

Matt Myers, Vice President – Limited Energy & General Manager of ECSI, was fortunate to start and develop his career with Jerry as a mentor. About Jerry he says, “As one of the founders of ECSI, Jerry Hein has played an integral role in shaping our identity, values, and successes over the past 28 years. His guidance has been instrumental in shaping ECSI into the thriving organization it is today. I want to express my deepest gratitude to Jerry for his unwavering dedication, vision, mentorship and most importantly, his friendship.”

When asked what advice he might give to someone just starting out in the limited energy field Jerry said, “Set goals for yourself. Not everyone needs or wants to be a business owner or leader, and that’s ok. Like I told my kids, whatever you choose to do in life is fine by me. Just be the best you can be at it. If you’re not happy with your career that’s on you. It’s not the company’s job to make you happy.”

His retirement is reserved for spending as much time with family as possible. While Jerry will continue to mentor other leaders with their respective businesses, he will also take time to enjoy the simple things, saying “I hope to get my golf handicap under 15 and catch tons of fish.”

We can’t thank Jerry enough for all he’s done. Without his vision, commitment, intelligence, and tenacity, ECSI would have been just a dream!