Heller was warehouse visionary #8212 and more

Some remembered him as a pioneer in the toy industry.
Others knew him as a visionary in the warehouse and distribution sector.
But the group of kids who spent their early years at the John Kenney Child Care Center in Edison, they just knew him as “Grandpa.”And that was just perfect for Ike Heller.

Heller, the quintessential Horatio Alger story — born on a farm, attended school in a one-room warehouse that lacked electricity and served in the Navy in World War II before founding two multimillion-dollar New Jersey companies — died peacefully in his sleep earlier this month. He was 88.

But for all this icon in New Jersey business accomplished as the founder of the Remco Toy Company and Heller Industrial Parks, Heller once said his charitable efforts — including donating so much of his time and money to the Kenney center — meant the most to him.

“I feel myself running out of gas and (that) my time of being alive is limited — and frankly, I’d like to be thought of as being a good person,” he told The Sentinel newspaper in 2012 upon donating an additional $1 million to the center he created in 1987.

His impact there is still felt today.

“The school was his pride and joy,” Roxanne Martin, the center’s director of operations, said. “He used to come in and walk the halls, just talking with the kids. He loved to make them laugh, just like a grandfather would.”

It’s no surprise that Heller gave so much to child care. His companies were well ahead of their time in regard to that issue, being one of the first to offer child care services to employees.

Come to think of it, his companies were ahead of their time in a lot of ways.

Remco, which he founded with his cousin in Newark in 1949, was the first to produce remote-controlled products.

The company grew into one of the biggest toy companies in the country in the next two decades, employing more than 5,000 people in a 750,000-square-foot facility in Harrison at its peak.

After selling the company in 1965, he founded Heller Industrial Parks in Edison, a full-service, privately-held firm that develops, owns, leases and manages its own portfolio.

Brian Banaszynski, the current president of Heller Industrial Parks, said Heller’s influence cannot be understated.

“We deeply mourn the great loss of Ike Heller. We are sad not only at the loss, but at the loss of a great individual who was a dreamer, builder and visionary,” Banaszynski said in a company statement.

“Ike was a multi-industry pioneer. His relentless efforts led the company from its humble beginnings in Harrison, New Jersey, to the industry leader it is today. The warehouse and distribution business in New Jersey is one of the largest in the country in part due to his vision and drive over many decades. We will use the memory of Ike’s leadership, business acumen, and strong values as an inspiration to our daily efforts to continue his legacy.”

Heller was chairman of the board and CEO of the company until his final days.

“Ike was and always will be an icon of the New Jersey commercial real estate industry,” Banaszynski said.

His impact in the community will live on as well.

Heller’s last gift to the Kenney center serves as an endowment, helping subsidize tuition for the families of the approximately 100 kids enrolled there.

“He was so generous,” Martin said. “He has helped so many kids.”

Just like a grandfather would.

E-mail to: tomb@njbiz.com