Integrators '20 under 40' 2015—Corey Hendrix

Corey Hendrix, 32

Vice president, Femac Security Solutions

Register, Ga.

Awareness is the most important factor in attracting young and talented workers to the security industry, says Corey Hendrix, “Just letting them know that we're out there,” he said.

“One thing we've done is we go after people in these tech schools,” Hendrix said. “They think they have to go work for somebody like Amazon or Google. Whereas, there's something exciting right in their backyard, something that changes every day.”

The security industry needs to let young professionals know that its jobs pay well. “Let's be honest, money is the driving factor to a lot of kids coming out of school,” he said.

Asked about his own start in the industry, Hendrix said, “I was actually kind of raised around [the security industry]—my dad owns this company.” He first started working with Femac when he was 17, as “the guy who answered phones and swept the floor.” Femac Security Solutions, based here, opened in 1990.

“Now, I oversee the day-to-day operations of [installations],” Hendrix said.

Hendrix's current position revolves around the industry's changing technologies. “Any time we work on new technologies … it's my job to learn those technologies and then implement that throughout the company and teach other employees how to handle it,” said Hendrix.

Hendrix is excited by how frequently the industry changes. “There's something new all the time, something new around the corner, some new challenge.”

He studied mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. “I've always had a mechanical background.”

Hendrix pointed to increased integration as a major trend in the industry, and this includes a rise in mobile functionality. “You can change pretty much everything about your alarm through an app.”