Having worked in the security industry for 15 years, Anthony Ramirez witnessed front-line security offers being treated as more of a product than a person. “This never set well with me and I decided to do something about it,” he said. “This company was launched out of my love for people and their personal stories.”
Lincoln Security Services has a mission to provide exceptional service and relentless protection of client assets. The early years of the company were spent at McCormick Place, providing event security services to some of the city’s largest trade shows and conventions.
In the last three years, the company pivoted from being an events only business to entering different vertical markets in conjunction with the event security offering. The firm has since developed security offerings and contracted with commercial office spaces, airports, hospitals, gated communities and other industries that require a 24/7/365 security presence.
“We wanted Lincoln to be a place where officers felt appreciated, noticed and recognized for the hard work they do every day,” said Ramirez. “We also wanted to be best in class in payroll accuracy, which is something that plagues our industry.” Year to date, the company has grown to a staff of 325 with 99.6 percent payroll accuracy.
Under Ramirez’s leadership, the company was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing, privately-held businesses in the U.S. and made an appearance on the Inc Regional Midwest list of fastest-growing businesses.
Looking toward the future, Ramirez said that the 3-year vision is to have 1,000 full-time employees with an expansion to 25,000 full-time employees within 10 years. In addition, the introduction of AI in the security industry has come fast and furious and security systems are increasingly using AI for threat detection, analysis and response. “Our officers will need to learn how to work alongside AI systems,” he said. “Training and skills development will become increasingly important as these technologies evolve.”
As a leader, Ramirez said he is passionate about people above all. “Whenever I’m feeling down about the business or if we are having a bad week, I hit the front lines,” he said. “Connecting with our front-line employees is always an energizing and reinvigorating experience.”
What Ramirez said he appreciates is that his staff is not shy about telling him what can be better in their day-to-day while at the same time, telling him what is going great. “There is no better way to get a pulse on the company,” he said.
For his steadfast leadership in the security industry, Ramirez has been named a titan. “
