ESA Names George De Marco 2026 Weinstock Person of the Year

IRVING, Texas — The Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year Award has always recognized the best of the best, honoring “someone who shines as truly stellar in the security industry,” according to an announcement this week by the Electronic Security Association (ESA).

This year’s recipient – Electronic Security Expo chairman George De Marco – has well earned that distinction, having devoted the last 40-plus years of his career to the industry. And, like so many others, De Marco “started in the industry purely by chance and has decidedly remained in it purely by choice,” the announcement says.

“I grew up in a family with a strong Italian heritage, where many of our relatives and close family friends were business owners,” says De Marco, an SSI Industry Hall of Famer, in the ESA announcement. “They came from all walks of life, but they all shared that same entrepreneurial spirit.

“Being around that had a big influence on me. I always knew I wanted to build something of my own, I just didn’t know what that would be,” he says.

The Weinstock Award celebration is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Why Did ESA Give De Marco the 2026 Weinstock Award?

De Marco’s association involvement began in the mid-1980s at the local level with the Orange County Alarm Association, where he served in several leadership roles including president. OCAA was one of 11 regional chapters of the Western Burglar and Fire Alarm Association, which became the California Alarm Association. 

“What truly pulled me in was advocacy, industry insight and the power of learning from others,” he says in the ESA announcement. “As challenges and opportunities arose, the importance of a strong collective voice became undeniable.” 

De Marco has served in committee and board positions, helped launch the Executive Symposium — Foundations for Growth, which ran for 24 years, served as a founding member of the WBFAA Apprenticeship Program and was appointed by the state of California to the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services.

During that time, he was also involved in addressing some of the industry’s most pressing challenges, including non-response policies from municipalities, Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC) issues and licensing requirements. The WBFAA’s charter chapter program further connected him to ESA.

“I was approached early on by John Galante, George Gunning, and John Murphy and asked if I would consider serving as chairman to help get ESX off the ground,” says De Marco in the ESA announcement. “The vision was simple but powerful: create an event built by the industry, for the industry.”

The first ESX event was launched in 2008 in Nashville through a collaboration among the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), the NBFAA and AE Ventures. Over time, the structure evolved, with ESA ultimately assuming full ownership in 2021.

“This role as ESX chairman deepened my involvement with ESA significantly, particularly in the formative years of guiding and building the event into what it is today,” says De Marco in the announcement. “At the time, the expectation was that I would help for a few years, but here we are, 18 years later, and I’m still in the chairman.”

The post ESA Names George De Marco 2026 Weinstock Person of the Year appeared first on Security Sales & Integration.

from Security Sales & Integration https://www.securitysales.com/news/esa-george-de-marco-weinstock-person-of-year/618720/
via CCTV