A real hero doesn't call themself a hero. A real hero inspires and guides others to become heroes of their own. A real hero is brave, generous, intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate, steadfast and several other intangible qualities. But maybe most of all, they're selfless. And the late Ernie Jaeger was a hero in every sense of the word.
Having opened its doors to the Chicagoland area in 1972, Accurate Door has become a renowned family-owned and operated door service business. The garage door company was established by Ernie’s grandfather and passed down to Ernie’s father and mother before eventually coming under the leadership of Ernie. From a young age, Ernie was fascinated by all facets of the business from sales and marketing to engineering and maintenance. He quickly learned the world of garage door services was the path meant for him.
Ernie is described by friends, family and peers as a “man’s man with a big heart and kind soul,” and a “stickler for details.” In his 30 years of experience, never was a job too difficult or too tedious for Ernie. His dedication to ensuring each customer be treated with the utmost respect and unmatched professionalism and was a catalyst for the business to grow.
Sadly, Ernie passed in May of 2020. While his smiling presence is greatly missed, his team has developed a creative and fitting way to carry on his legacy.
Say hello to Ernie: Hero of Accurate Door.
The inspiration came in part due to Ernie’s love for the superhero Thor. For those unfamiliar, Thor is the Norse God of Thunder: a hero of great size, strength, passion for serving the people and wielder of a mighty hammer. While an otherworldy hammer isn’t necessarily the appropriate apparatus for garage door servicing, Ernie employed a different titanic tool used for the power of good — a brutewinder.
A brutewinder is a device used to assist in winding and unwinding a loaded spring door — the most dangerous part of the job and one never turned down by Ernie. The tool is mounted to the winding mechanism of a spring and operated by a drill to replace manually adjusted winding bars. Its purpose is to create a safer environment for the technician making the alterations. Today, all of Accurate Door’s technicians utilize a brutewinder.
While Ernie’s passing was difficult for all who knew him, his legacy lives on through his wife, two sons, a nephew and brother-in-law — all of whom plan to carry on his mantra that each customer should be treated as if they were the only one in the world. It’s with his mindset that Accurate Door will continue growing as a well-respected and reliable organization.
It also lives on through his depiction as the Hero of Accurate Door. Wielding a brutewinder and donning a hardhat and nametag, Ernie is the beacon of a company operating with as much passion as ever before.
It’s no secret that we miss Ernie dearly. But by making Ernie the company’s hero, we are always reminded of what he meant to the business, his customers and most of all, his family. Thank you, Ernie. We’ll make you proud.
