Idaho construction company has a lot of work to do after CEO’s Nazi salute | Opinion

What a refreshing turn of events on Monday after Tom Hill, CEO of Meridian-based ESI Construction, was caught on video making an apparent Nazi salute during a company event on Feb. 20.

After a couple of days of apologies and a backhanded statement of contrition from Hill, ESI announced Monday afternoon that he was resigning from his position as CEO.

Hill initially called it a failed attempt at humor and parody, saying he was mimicking Elon Musk and President Donald Trump in a political skit.

Since when is a Nazi salute humorous? There’s nothing funny about it.

According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, “After the Nazi rise to power in Germany in the 1930s, it became common for Germans to greet each other with a stiff-armed salute and the words ‘Heil Hitler.’ The ‘German Greeting,’ as it became known, was a ritual of the cult of Adolf Hitler. Under the Nazi regime, Germans were expected to pay public allegiance to the ‘Führer’ (leader) in quasi-religious forms. For example, they even saluted statues of Hitler.”

It’s literally a symbol of worship to a man responsible for World War II and the mass killing of millions of Jews.

When Musk and Steve Bannon, who have close ties to the president of the United States, are doing it, it’s downright dangerous.

When there’s a real Christian nationalist movement happening in this country and particularly in Idaho, it’s not a joking matter.

Fascism has no place in American democracy.

We also seriously doubted Hill’s claims of parody, as the video shows him standing on stage in front of a massive video screen with President Trump’s face plastered on it.

It looks more like a CPAC convention than a company function. We suspect there were many ESI employees who didn’t appreciate Hill’s display of partisan worship.

More likely, Hill felt more emboldened to share his political views in a deep-red state in this post-election world in which diversity, equity and inclusion policies and offices are being scrapped by Trump, and anyone on the right can say anything they want and feel as if they can get away with it.

Hill is finding out, though, that there are consequences.

Yes, Hill has the right to speak his mind, just like everyone else. But the right to free speech doesn’t protect you from repercussions.

On Sunday, Hill issued a more in-depth apology, acknowledging the salute’s offensive history. ESI announced plans to meet with employees and community leaders, and review workplace training.

Reading his apologies, one might be tempted to give him the benefit of the doubt. But a statement he made to BoiseDev over the weekend gave us pause regarding the sincerity of his apologies and his characterization of his actions as innocent joking.

“I’m a Christian, a Republican, a patriot, a successful businessman, a son, a brother, a husband, and a father,” he wrote. “I’ve learned today that some people will hate me for the first three or four things on that list. They can hate me if they wish, it’s their right, but I wish they would be honest about why they choose to hate me.”

What was he talking about?

He wasn’t being vilified because he’s Christian, Republican, patriotic or a successful businessman.

He was being vilified for giving a Nazi salute.

If he equates being Christian, Republican and patriotic with giving the Nazi salute, therein lies the problem.

A true Christian would know better than to do a Nazi salute under any circumstances.

And his persecution complex about being Christian, Republican and patriotic in a state like Idaho was outlandish.

What he failed to list was “educated,” because an educated person would have known about the real hate and pain the salute represents.

ESI perhaps dodged a bullet with Hill’s resignation, as the company can now distance itself from having its “ESI” signs around the Treasure Valley associated with Hill’s hateful parody.

Along with Hill’s resignation, ESI announced elevating an employee to the role of Chief People Officer who has a “deep understanding of ESI’s company culture” and is committed “to fostering an environment of respect and collaboration.”

In addition, ESI announced the formation of a Corporate Responsibility Task Force, which “will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of ESI’s current practices and policies, with a particular focus on fostering respect across all levels of our organization.”

These are good moves, and we hope this is more than just empty promises and performative lip service. If the CEO of your company felt it was OK to do this at a big ESI event, perhaps there is more going on within your organization than meets the eye.

In addition to these moves and Hill’s resignation, perhaps a generous contribution to the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights would represent a more tangible signal of ESI’s rejection of hate.

This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 4:03 PM.