Engineered Security Systems, headquartered in Towaco, New Jersey, and with offices in Washington DC, Chicago, and California, today announced the promotion of two longtime employees to senior management positions. David George, president of ESS, made the announcement.
“ESS is pleased to share with our fellow employees, clients, vendors and friends, the promotion of Mr. Kenneth Whelan to the position of Chief Operating Officer, and Mr. Michael Foster, to the newly created role of Senior Director of Operations.
Ken served with distinction as our Vice President of Engineering. He joined ESS in 2003 as an estimator, earning well deserved promotions due to his strong work ethic, dedication to satisfying the needs of, and earning the trust of our wide range of clients in property management, healthcare, government, and logistics. Ken has implemented and designed a variety of world-class services and systems for Fortune 500 companies, governmental entities, higher education campuses, property management companies and leading hospitals.
In 2016, Ken led our effort in being awarded the design and installation for the fire, life safety and integrated security systems for the largest commercial building in New Jersey, Bell Works in Holmdel. The former home to Bell Labs, this architectural wonder is being transformed into a nationally recognized multi-tenant “Live, Work, Play” facility. Ken led our team of engineers who created a security solution covering two million square feet, the equivalent of the Empire State Building.
Most recently, Ken led our transformation as a security integrator with a focus on engineered solutions to a managed security services technology company.
Mike Foster has been an important ESS team member since joining us in 2001 as a field technician. He soon become an asset to our project managers as he bridged the gap between hardware installation and programming. Mike has been instrumental in hundreds of projects and is intimately familiar with the hardware and software at customer sites across the country that ESS services and maintains, including access control, monitoring, infant protection, alarm points and intercoms. All of these systems receive Mike’s personal attention while working closely with the end users to enhance their security requirements. Whether it’s leading a large project requiring exquisite attention down to the last detail or an after hours request for emergency service, Mike marshals our resources to get the job done right.
I am especially proud of Ken’s and Mike’s promotions, as they highlight ESS’s emphasis on organic development within our organization. They are at the core of ESS’s dynamic growth.”