End Users '20 under 40' 2014—Jay Blanton

Jay Blanton, 37

U.S. security manager, UPS Supply Chain Solutions-U.S. Logistics and Distribution, Louisville, Ky.

Blanton is responsible for developing and managing all aspects of security and regulatory compliance for aviation and health care products in the third-party logistic provider's care and control at more than 280 distribution, post-sales and mail innovations operations throughout the United States.

What inspired you to get into the security industry?�
After serving in the Marine Corps, I enrolled at the University of Louisville in pursuit of an undergraduate degree in criminal justice.�Originally I planned on pursuing a career in law enforcement but ultimately decided on the private sector after being intrigued by the logistics business and challenges involved in securing a global supply chain at UPS Supply Chain Solutions.

If you could have any technology you wanted, without regard to budget, what would it be?�
Upgrading all analog video systems to an IP platform throughout our network.�IP quality brings real value to the video being captured, covering more footprint while achieving significantly higher quality.

What's your biggest physical security challenge today, and what do you think it will be five years from now?From a distribution and logistics perspective, I believe full truckload cargo theft is, and will remain to be for quite some time, the biggest physical security challenge in our industry.�Shipper facilities are targeted less frequently due to the multiple layers of security in place.�What value does that security infrastructure bring once the load is on the road, tendered to a driver you don't know?�The lowest cost provider and best value are not one in the same, it ultimately comes down to managing risks.�Carrier selection and vetting are critical and should be a component of an overall transportation security strategy that includes, among other layers, lane analysis and passive or active GPS monitoring of loads based on defined criteria—whether that's product type, dollar value, transit lane or a combination of factors.