SSI Industry Hall of Fame Introduces 2023 Inductees
Join us in welcoming a diverse lineup of remarkable individuals to our HoF roster.
Jamie Haenggi | President, ADT Solar
Bio
- Born 1970 in Duluth, Minn.
- With two older sisters and one brother, father worked for department of transportation and mother ran a daycare center out the home
- Married 26 years to husband Jeff, with two young adult children
- Earned B.A. in international relations and East Asian studies with minor in Japanese and political science at University of Minnesota
- Other honors include honorary doctorate from Taylor University, Marketing Hall of Femme Honoree (Direct Marketing News), SSI SAMMY Awards and accolades from other industry trade media
- Says if career had taken another path, based on academic background, would have pursued travel and working with people to make the world a better place
- What people might not know: left ADT in 2003 to follow a call from god, calling it “one of the most defining moments in my life journey”
- Other interests include mentoring young people, mission work, traveling, reading and hiking
Why She’s on the List
- Nearly 30 years raising the bar as a leading security business marketer, serving as a model of professionalism with impressive results for some of the industry’s most dominant installation and monitoring providers
- Career began in 1992 when, while working through college, an idea she had to improve vendor management caught the attention of National Guardian President George Flagg, who implemented it and then asked her to lead the startup of an international division
- Other experience includes Holmes Protection, working under Mike Snyder at both ADT and Vonage, working under SSI Hall of Famer Tim Whall at Protection 1, staying on after it was acquired by ADT in 2016, and being named to her present post this past December
- At Holmes, helped integrate more than 30 acquisitions in 36 months, before business was sold to ADT
- On at least three different occasions, held title of chief marketing officer
- Since 2020, has also served as a board member for Enphrase Energy
- Served as mentor and role model to many women who have reached out to her through the years, inspired by her assent in the industry and leadership
- Philanthropic pursuits include serving on Taylor University’s visitors board and president’s advisory council, mentoring several college students; also active in missions work through church and with husband has led youth groups to Nicaragua, Albania and Macedonia
Driven to Redefine the Market 
“The customer and how we best serve them is what motivates me. Technology is moving quickly and our ability to integrate and redefine what life safety means is exciting. The smart home comes to mind when considering embracing new technology and solutions — and helps redefine ‘peace of mind.’ But peace of mind now means knowing more about what’s happening in your home than simply if my system is armed and if there is an alarm.
“I am excited by new innovation and solutions. Solar is a great example of embracing something that is coming to the home that will eventually play an integrated role with the smart home, and ultimately security. In my early days at ADT, I led the effort to create an e-commerce website. ‘Adam’ was our online person who walked a prospect through a series of questions to help design their security home. They filled everything out and then submitted the form and, within minutes, we would call and enter their order and schedule installation. We sold more than $15 million when everyone thought we were crazy to try it. New ways of solving things is always an exciting adventure to me.”
Role Model Changing the Model
“Early in my career flipping through an industry magazine I saw a manufacturer ad with a large-chested woman wearing a tight t-shirt with the headline: ‘Do big boobs help sell security systems – You’re reading this ad!” I cut that out and tacked it up above my desk, referring to it as my ‘pride and humility reminder.’ This has largely been a male-dominated industry, with women playing more administrative roles in my early days. I recall often being the only woman in a meeting.
“I am a believer of ‘created for a time such as this,’ and today I am excited to be both a role model for women and lead solar for ADT. It means a lot to me to be a role model and mentor to other women as I don’t need all the fingers on one hand to name my female mentors in this industry. In my current role, I am faced with taking a very successful solar company that grew incredibly fast and drive a foundational structure that is customer-centric and operationally sound in an industry that is quite complex. Being able to bring ADT’s experience in scale, our reputation in service and trust, and marry that with our brand, I believe we will be unstoppable.”
Why Solar Will Be a Security Star
“I see a lot of parallels with the solar industry today and the alarm industry 25 years ago — highly fragmented, no national brand leader, low market penetration, not a lot of sophistication in the industry as a whole. What’s different is solar will not take 25 years to evolve and advance. Today’s aging and fragile U.S. grid is incapable of supporting a 20% penetration of electric vehicles. And 70% of the grid is 25 years or older, with upgrades to keep it running costing $2.2 trillion.
“The energy sector will become one of the most transformative markets the next five to 10 years. This is where the intersection of smart home, energy management and solar really come together. Technologies in this area will be disruptive. The key is to make them effortless for the consumer. I see solar and security being highly intertwined. Both provide peace of mind and a connected home. The key driver is solar has largely been propagated through door-to-door salespeople, which the security industry is known for. As security has transitioned to alternative channels like phone, Internet and retail, these sales teams have moved to a new industry – solar.”
Biggest Wish for Industry Change
“A new economic model. The economic model of today limits the ability to truly drive a multiproduct strategy over the life of a customer.”
Continue to the next page for a profile of Morgan Hertel…
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About the Author
Scott Goldfine
Scott Goldfine is the marketing director for Elite Interactive Solutions. He is the former editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Security Sales & Integration. He can be reached at [email protected].
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