CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — We close out our weeklong celebration of the SSI Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2025 with National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) CEO emeritus Chuck Wilson, who also launched the Partner Alliance for Safe Schools (PASS), an initiative focused on improving K-12 school safety.
Wilson joins Christine Lanning, Tracy Larson, Pierre Racz and Donna Soloway as this year’s honorees. The five inductees will be celebrated at ISC West in Las Vegas next week.
The Chuck Wilson Hall of Fame File
- Married for 43 years to Pam
- They enjoy visiting their 30-year-old son, Austin, who lives in Pasadena, Calif.
- His career began in 1976 as a summer intern pulling cable and installing security, life safety and AV systems at Communications Engineering Company (CEC) in Iowa
- Spent 20-plus years at CEC, a leading technology solutions provider, doing every job in the company
- Served several terms on the NSCA board of directors, starting in 1990
- Joined NSCA as the first full-time executive director in 1996
- Launched the NSCA Education Foundation in 2000
- Founding partner of Integrated Systems Events, LLC
- Co-founder of the Electronic Systems Professional Alliance and the Connected Technologies Industry Consortium
- Founder and advisor for Chuck Wilson Ventures, LLC
- Technology industry liaison and strategic advisory board member at AlliantGroup
- Co-founder and board chairman of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS)
- Technical advisor for STEM program development at Boys and Girls Club International and Future Ready Iowa
- Serves on multiple non-profit boards and charitable organizations
- Proud member of the community of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Been to a game in all 30 current MLB venues and, so far, has visited 42 of 63 national parks
Why He’s on the List
- Awarded the CSI technical commendation award in 2004
- Conducted more than 200 strategic planning sessions with systems integration companies
- Published author of more than a dozen books, technical manuals, curriculum materials and industry journals
- Delivered hundreds of presentations on emerging technologies and business practices
- Served on more than a dozen technical code-making panels with the NEC/NFPA, UL, FGI, FCC, CISA and others
- Served as a school board chairman with an emphasis on creating safe environments and fostering skills-based curriculum
- Used his school board experience and technical knowledge to assemble the leading school safety experts in forming PASS
- Reached the 10-year milestone with PASS and is currently publishing the seventh revision
Keys to Success
“Without question, surrounding myself with people way smarter than me. I learned a long time ago to make darn sure I was not the smartest person in the room. For if I was, we would all be in trouble.”
Enduring Memories
“My entire career has been about connecting people. I’ve been truly blessed to have developed lasting friendships and worked with such kind and caring people. On my very first day at NSCA in 1996, I drafted a statement of core values that is still used today to illustrate how we conduct ourselves and treat others. This document has since been shared with hundreds of NSCA member companies to help them craft their own statement of values.”
Chuck Wilson’s Hall of Fame Words of Wisdom
“I try to avoid giving advice, but I would suggest to other business owners that they create a concise list of the things they just have to get right. This includes the people you employ, the clients you serve, the go-to-market strategy and the business processes you develop and follow. Those four things must be done right every day.”
“I also subscribe to the servant style of leadership, where the focus is on helping other people. This requires a keen awareness of when they need you to lead, when to serve, when to listen and when to speak.”
Making Our Industry Better
“Probably the biggest contribution I’ve made is being task team chairman during the expansion of the CSI MasterFormat back in 2004. That has given systems integrators an opportunity to get closer to the decision-makers and end users in building projects. It has allowed technology providers to be at the table, creating performance-based outcomes, rather than being a third-tier sub forced into a low-bid situation.”
Chuck Wilson Hall of Fame Legacy
“My hope is that I can make a positive difference in school safety by having the PASS guidelines and resources be used in every school district in America. The dream is to have the technology roadmap that we created used as the baseline standard for how schools are built, how policies are developed and how training is done. I’d like to see every state adopt this layered security concept and ensure that all students and faculty can feel safe at school again.”
