Like many companies, LockNet comes from humble beginnings – we started in the basement of Lockmasters in 1993. Around 1995 when the LockNet employee headcount was up to a mighty six, the decision was made to part ways with Lockmasters and venture out on our own. We made the big move and settled into the building we still occupy today – 100 Courchelle Drive.
Owned by my grandfather Harry Miller, we converted what used to be a boat shop into the LockNet home. The building is split into two areas; the office area up front and the warehouse area in the back; the back warehouse was used as our shipping and key/core production area. The space wasn’t large, but it got the job done, that is until we purchased the Sur-Lock and door divisions of our company in 2002. This expansion caused us to quickly outgrow the warehouse space and initiated the move of our production facilities to a local warehouse. As we continued to grow, the office area quickly filled up. True to our innovative background, we began converting the warehouse space into office space.
With the addition of LockNet employees, customers, and projects over the years, everyone’s schedule has gotten busier and many roles have evolved. As most CEOs can confirm – they spend a good portion of their day in meetings, many of which include confidential discussion. Anyone who has tried to schedule a meeting around here can attest to the crowded schedule of our only room capable of confidential conversation – the conference room.
Between said crowded schedule and no walls around your office, confidential discussion is near impossible. So, what do you do when you find yourself in this conundrum? You build an office of course! We have entered new territory, literally – for the first time in several years we’ve added to the warehouse. It is my pleasure to announce LockNet’s first official office, built by none other than our own LockNet employee and Director of National Accounts, Rob Owen. I have to admit – I’m a little excited because this means the conference room won’t get yanked away from me nearly as often! The owner of this groundbreaking development probably goes without saying – Chad Miller, CEO.
LockNet Employee Rob Owen Gets To Work
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From design, to framing, to drywall, to finishing, Rob built the entire office – and it looks great! Rob comes by his carpentry skills honestly – his uncle owned Thompson Construction in Florida and Rob grew up around all things handyman. He put his skills to work for Murray Construction, a construction company in Lawrenceburg, KY, where he primarily built custom homes. From there he was an installer for Lowes. Needless to say – he knows his stuff.
In our line of work, we always say that retrofit lock installations are more difficult than new construction lock installations. Building an office in an old boat repair warehouse is no different. The current infrastructure of the warehouse with beams and ceiling joists proved to be a challenge when framing out the office. Once Rob overcame that hurdle, it was time to address the floor. Smack in the middle of the office floor was a decommissioned drain hole, meaning the floor was sloped. If you’ve ever tried to lay flooring, you know that the slightest slope or bump can make laying the floor incredibly difficult and can lead to creaks and cracks in the flooring down the road. Upon leveling the floor, he thought he was scott-free – until he spray painted his face white that is.
Being trained, Rob knew to wear a respirator when he was spray painting the hollow metal frames; however, he must have been a little rusty around the edges because he forgot to wear a face covering. He looked like Old Man Winter for a few days with dusty white hair and eyebrows. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a picture – that would have been excellent blackmail.
Rob – we’d like to thank you for your hard work. The office looks great and I know Chad is very appreciative to have his own space to work and host meetings!