Executive News
ESI CEO Resigns After Nazi Salute Video Goes Viral
Thomas Hill resigned as CEO of Idaho contractor Engineered Structures Inc. Feb. 24.
Image courtesy Engineered Structures Inc.
Thomas Hill resigned Feb. 24 from his job as CEO of Meridian, Idaho-based contractor Engineered Structures Inc. after he performed a Nazi salute on stage during a company event and a video of the gesture went viral and drew criticism online.
“While my behavior was never intended to promote hatred or extremist views, I recognize that it has rightfully generated intense backlash and has overshadowed the mission of our company,” Hill wrote in his resignation letter, which ESI posted on its social media pages.
ESI ranks No. 150 on the ENR 2024 Top 400 Contractors list with $850 million in revenue for the year prior.
The video, which was posted on Reddit as a brief clip without sound by someone claiming to be married to an ESI employee, apparently shows Hill making the gesture at a company event held at the Boise Centre—a conference center the contractor expanded and renovated in 2018—as video of President Donald Trump plays on a screen behind him.
The controversy comes in the wake of billionaire Elon Musk making a gesture that some say appeared to be a Nazi salute while speaking on stage at an event marking Trump’s inauguration at Capital One Arena. While Musk has supported antisemitic beliefs on X—the social media platform previously known as Twitter that he purchased in 2022—he denied that his gesture was a Nazi salute.
Hill’s resignation letter included his third public apology for the incident. In the first, he called the gesture an “attempt at humor and parody [that] fell short” during a “political skit” in which he said he mimicked Musk and Trump’s dancing. “I did so as a commentary on the craziness of our political environment and nothing more,” he said.
In his second apology, Hill expanded, saying the first “significantly missed the mark.”
The salute "is one of the most recognizable of all Nazi symbols and when used represents hate, oppression and unspeakable atrocities—a reminder of an era that inflicted deep suffering on millions,” Hill said. “I understand that no context or excuse can mitigate the pain associated with this symbol, and I take full responsibility for the offense caused.”
