Rick Pierro, co-founder of Superior Controls (now part of E Tech Group), served in multiple positions in the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) and was a Control Engineering Editorial Advisory Board member, among other industry achievements. Superior Controls was System Integrator of the Year for 2012.
Rick Pierro was co-founder of Superior Controls of Seabrook, New Hampshire, and is now part of E Tech Group, served in multiple positions in the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) and was a Control Engineering Editorial Advisory Board member, among other achievements. He died Dec. 12, 2025, at 66 years of age, of cancer.
Superior Controls was System Integrator of the Year (class of 2012) and E Tech Group, which acquired Superior Controls, was a System Integrator of the Year recipient, class of 2025.
Pierro was recognized posthumously at the CSIA Executive Conference in May with a Charlie Bergen “Remember Me” Award. That award honors an individual who exemplifies the spirit of CSIA’s founding member Charlie Bergman — demonstrating leadership, a generous willingness to share and dedication to the advancement of the profession. Pierro’s wife, Eileen Pierro; one of his three children, Michael Pierro; and Matt Wise, CEO, E Tech Group, accepted the award.
Pierro received an MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lowell-Mass in 1983, a Bachelor’s in Chemistry from Boston University in 1981, and attended business and finance classes at Harvard Business School. He served on the board of directors of Atrex Energy, a fuel cell manufacturer; Acumentrics Corp, a rugged UPS manufacturer; MindChild Medical Inc., a developer of fetal heart monitoring equipment; E-Trolz Inc., a manufacturer of intelligent controllers for the medical device industry; MIRtle Medical, a developer of EKGs for the MRI; and Degree Controls Inc., a manufacturer of cooling systems for computers. Pierro served on the Board of Advisors to the University of Mass-Lowell Engineering Departments and was a recipient of the Francis College of Engineering “Distinguished Engineer Award.” He is also a past president of the Boston-International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers and was a frequent speaker on automation and future trends in automation.
After E Tech Group acquired Superior Controls in 2019, Pierro was president of the E Tech Group’s Life Sciences Center of Excellence. (As of January 2023 Superior Controls became E Tech Group.)
Control Engineering links
Control Engineering involvement included suggestions for Control Engineering coverage and feedback on user experience. Also see:
https://www.controleng.com/2020-system-integrator-giants/
https://www.controleng.com/system-integrator-expands-northeast-operations-with-new-york-office/
Mark T. Hoske, editor-in-chief, Control Engineering, WTWH Media, [email protected], including information from Control System Integrators Association (CSIA).
