Brad Wilson, president and chief operating officer of RFI Communications & Security Systems, passed at 61 on Jan. 16, the company announced via LinkedIn. 

“Brad will be remembered for his sincere dedication to the industry, his wit and positive outlook,” the company wrote. “He always said he was in the people business, and he was truly one of the best! He will be greatly missed by us all.”

The security industry, in wake of Wilson’s passing, remember him as a visionary, fuller than life and always open to sharing his wisdom.

“I personally miss Brad,” said John R. Krumme, chairman and CEO of Cam-Dex Security Corp. “He would do anything he could to help. We have lost a great leader of our industry and most importantly a loyal friend.”    

Others noted how he lit up a room just by walking into it.

“What distinguished Brad from others was the unique presence that he brought into a room coupled with an uncanny ability to make people laugh by extolling self-thought euphemisms for real life situations,” said Joe Liguori, sales director at Convergint Technologies. “I will remember him for his laugh which was both genuine and intoxicating and his demeanor which was always bright, pleasant and informative. He will truly be missed.”

Wilson is most remembered for having a wide network and being a magnanimous visionary in the industry, providing mentorship to some.

“He was really a figurehead in the industry with the manufacturers,” said David Alessandrini, vice president at Pasek Security. “He had a channel to each and every one of them. He was connected to them all in some way or another. And if a point had to be made to get across your point, he was the guy to do it. He had the manufacturer’s ears.”

Wilson was also a longtime member of Security-Net, a network of security system integrators. According to Alesandrini, Wilson helped shape Security-Net to what it is today. 

“A lot of that was the development of his company as well, but some of the best practices that they implemented, they got transformed down to the rest of the Security-Net practice,” Alessandrini added. 

Wilson is survived by his wife of 36 years, Diana; four children and three grandchildren (Melissa and Chris Wyant, granddaughter Ava; Nicole Wilson; Brandon and Melissa Wilson, grandson Zayden, granddaughter Irie; and Matthew Wilson); and three siblings, Sandy, Jack and Pam.

The Wilson family is asking for donations to the American Liver Foundation in Brad’s honor in lieu of flowers.