Each year, the Sara E. Jackson Award recognizes an ESA volunteer who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and service to the electronic security and life safety industry.

At ESX 2026, Michael Barnes was honored with ESA’s Sara E. Jackson Award, recognizing his continued commitment to strengthening the industry through service, leadership, and active involvement.

During his acceptance speech, Barnes reflected on the importance of giving back, the impact of ESA’s volunteer community, and why companies and professionals who engage with the industry often find the greatest opportunities for growth.

▶ Watch Michael Barnes’ full acceptance speech here.

Michael Barnes’ Acceptance Speech

Recognizing the People Behind the Industry

“This award just means the world to me.

I want to first of all thank Merlin and the entire ESA staff. They’re just absolutely amazing, and they certainly make any contribution that you want to make to the organization easy.

They’re so pleasant to deal with, and they’re so professional.

I definitely want to thank them.

I also want to thank Chairman Stone and prior chairman John Loud for encouraging me to continue to add value at the board level, which I’ve certainly enjoyed and plan to continue to do.

I also want to thank briefly my two business partners, Mark Granowski and Spencer Rogers. They have supported — our firm has supported ESA for a long time.

We enjoy the participation and trying to add some value back.”

The Value of Giving Back

“The one thing I want to share with everybody here is that while I think the initial motivator for a lot of the contribution that I make, and other folks in my firm make to this industry, was mostly to give back.

We recognize, like a lot of people, that this is a great business, and it’s been very good to many of us.

It’s a good thing to give back.

But we also recognize through our professional work and some of the analytics that Kevin was referencing that when we look at company performance, what we find is that companies that are involved in the industry, people that give back to the industry and participate at the trade association level in particular, statistically perform better than those that don’t.

And it’s not surprising.”

Building a Stronger Industry Together

“As much as I’ve worked very hard to give back and to participate and help the voice of the industry for the betterment of all of us, I’ve gotten more in return back.

I would encourage all of you to get involved.

It’s been amazing for my career and my understanding of the industry.

It’s a great place, and this means the world to me.

Thank you very much.”