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Gerald “Jerry” McGinnis Sr., a Pittsburgh-area startup advisor, investor and founder of medical supplies company Respironics, died Thursday at the age of 89.
The entrepreneur is credited with helping revitalize Pittsburgh’s technology industry in the 21st century.
“As a leader, Jerry was a straight shooter without a degree,” said Dave Mawhinney, executive director of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University. “He spoke the truth respectfully and explained why. I always really appreciated that.”
A native of Illinois, McGinnis earned an engineering degree from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He began his career at Westinghouse Electric Corporation and founded Respironics in Murrysville in 1976, serving as president and CEO for 18 years. Early products included anesthesia masks and his first CPAP machine for sleep apnea. The company went public in 1988 and was acquired by consumer electronics giant Philips in 2007 for more than $5 billion.
One of the ways he left his mark on the local community was by donating to the Swartz Center’s annual McGinnis Venture Competition.
“The Swartz Center is saddened to hear of the passing of our longtime friend Gerald E. McGinnis,” the center tweeted Friday morning. “His legacy will live on in our hearts.”
The Swartz Center is saddened to hear of the passing of our longtime friend Gerald E. McGinnis. Jerry donated to his annual McGinnis Venture competition. His legacy will live on in our hearts.My condolences to his daughter Alicia. @AudreysKitchPGH And the entire McGinnis family. pic.twitter.com/6vMZFMgaFG
— CMU Swartz Center (@CMUSwartzCenter) January 26, 2024
Through this competition, CMU student entrepreneurs compete for $60,000 while receiving mentorship from university alumni and local investors. The 2024 competition is currently underway, with the final pitch event scheduled for his March 19th.
“Jerry has been a great supporter of Western Pennsylvania’s entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Mawhinney, director of the Swartz Center, told Technical.ly, adding that the competition founded in his name is “currently one of the most successful” in the region. startups such as BlastPoint, Gather.AI, CoPilot, and Shift Robotics, just to name a few.”
Along with McGinnis’ colleagues, venture capitalists Don Jones and M. Stephen “Doc” Heilman, Mawhinney considers McGinnis an inspiration for himself and other modern Pittsburgh entrepreneurs.
“I felt better knowing Jerry, and I plan to use his wisdom to help the next generation of startups,” Mawhinney said.
Gerald “Jerry” McGinnis and his daughter Alicia. (Courtesy of Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship)
William Kaigler, currently the founder of medical technology company sovaSage and Tepper’s resident entrepreneur, started his career at Respironics in 1999 and got to know McGinnis well. When he met the CEO, he was initially intimidated, but quickly realized that McGinnis wanted to get to know him first as a person, not just as an engineer or employee.
“I’ll never forget the warmth and conversation he had with me,” Kaigler told Technical.ly about his first day at Respironics. “That’s how Jerry approached everything. He made everyone feel special.”
The two later became close friends. McGinnis served as an early advisor to Kaigler in developing sovaSage and later served as an investor and board member.
(Courtesy of Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship)
Even during difficult times for Respironics, such as product recalls, Kaigler recalled that McGinnis was always focused on what was best for customers and patients. (This fall, Philips Respironics reached a $479 million partial settlement over claims for millions of defective breathing devices.)
“Those values were a very strong foundation for him and influenced everyone in the company,” Kaigler said.
“He was much loved by everyone who knew him at Respironics.” Kaigler stopped and straightened. “No, he was respected.”
Company: sovaSage / Carnegie Mellon University
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