The old Highway 80 bridge spanning the Mighty Mississippi River makes Vicksburg a hub for many walks, runs and strolls.

Some are races to test endurance and others are more meant to help fight cancer or raise money for another worthy cause.

As the weather cools, the bridge becomes more popular, which means Trenton Thomas, owner of Thomas and Thomas Security, and his employees spend more time on the bridge during the fall than any other season.

“I love getting to see Vicksburg come together and do great things for a cause,” Thomas, a Vicksburg native and 2008 graduate of Warren Central High School, said.

As the owner of the security business charged with monitoring the bridge year-round, Thomas said fall offers a change of pace because so many events take place.

He and his 15 employees provide security during every event held on the bridge, he said, noting he was at the Over the River Run last Saturday.

Though the Warren County Bridge Commission isn’t his biggest client, he said the bridge holds a special meaning because it was one of his first jobs.

And being able to own his own business has been a “climb up the ladder,” he said.

After graduating from Hinds Community College in welding, Thomas said he couldn’t find a job, so he took a position as a janitor at Beechwood Elementary and started doing security at night. Two years later, he began working at Bestway Rent-to-Own.

“Working two jobs, it was all about the work,” he said. “I was going home taking a shower, taking a quick nap and then going back to work.”

But he kept at it, doing security on and off.

“My mindset was if you’re going to do a job, do it to the best of your abilities,” he said.

It worked.

Thomas’ boss at Red Carpet Security approached him about absorbing some of the security business into a new one of his own. After acquiring staff and clients from Red Carpet, Thomas said he was blessed with the opportunity to start his own security business at age 24, thanking the many who helped him along the way.

Thomas and Thomas Security celebrated its second anniversary last month. It has expanded from five employees and two clients to 15 employees and five clients over that period of time, providing security for events and residential, commercial and industrial locations.

As one of Thomas and Thomas Security’s first clients, the bridge commission and the bridge stand as a testimate to his ultimate goal:

“I’m trying to expand it out to secure people all over the world, but I’ve got to start from my hometown first — get them squared away and taken care of and then grow.” he said.