“40 under 40” Class of 2019 — Patrick Milnamow, 33

As the Senior Security Consultant at AEI, Patrick Milnamow provides security consulting, design, threat and risk assessments, workplace violence program, benchmarking and security master planning services.

“My day-to-day responsibilities involve working directly with developers, architects, owners and applicable trades disciplines (project coordination) for existing and new construction projects,” he said, adding continuing education with vendors and industry practitioners to the list.

Milnamow started his career part-time as a retail security guard while taking community college courses toward a criminal justice degree. “What really inspired me to continue in the private security industry was the security management minor degree at Western Illinois University, which opened up multiple security career opportunities,” he said. “The security industry is ever-evolving and does not stay stagnant, which should keep a security practitioner in an attentive state of mind.”

He sees cybersecurity as a hot area right now, noting that “manufacturers are understanding the importance of cyber-hardening their products, as this will be a continuing topic to address.”

Milnamow also sees growth of smart buildings and in the use of information. “As AI, IoT and data analytics become more entwined in everyday living, stay on top of this topic,” he said.

Drone security is another hot topic, he said, noting there are two sides of drone usage. “One side wants to utilize drones to assist security, provide surveillance and even take down impeding drones,” he said. “The other side is using drones as a threat to multiple industry verticals. As drones become more prevalent, the usage of drones is an interesting topic to keep on the radar.”