LockNet prides itself on its strong family history and ties. Locksmiths, safe crackers, and inventors all played a prominent part in building the foundation on which LockNet stands today. In fact, many are surprised to learn exactly how far back the history of LockNet goes.
Earlier this year, our sister company, LockMasters, was profiled in two local papers, the Lexington Herald Leader and the Jessamine Journal. The Herald-Leader article on LockMasters, in particular went into pretty serious detail about the Miller family history.
LockNet: Four Generations
Yes, on our site we have the traditional “About Us” section and we boast about being four generations deep, but there are many other really interesting details about how we arrived where we are today.
The Early Years
The Millers’ intro into the world of doors and locks actually started with the banking industry. John C. Miller, after working with banks in the DC area and with a company called Diebold, decided to branch out on his own and start his own company. SafeMasters was then born in the 1930s.
Years later, John’s son, Harry, had joined the family business. It was this line of work that led him to design a manipulation-proof lock. That piqued the interest of Sargent & Greenleaf who subsequently bought the lock.
Royalties from the lock sales were fantastic and eventually the Millers had enough to actually purchase Sargent & Greenleaf. Four years later, Harry Miller struck out on his own once again. In 1954 LockMasters was born as Harry Miller began to educate others on the art of lock manipulation.
Another Generation Takes the Lead
Since the art of lock manipulation is fairly specialized, Miller decided to take more of an education route. He began to offer classes on lock manipulation through LockMasters to interested parties. Eventually, Miller’s two sons, Clay and Benson, were old enough to join the family business and Harry retired.
In 1993, Benson branched off to eventually start his own sister company, LockNet, while Clay stayed and took the reins at LockMasters. Instead of educating the masses, LockNet began servicing commercial facilities’ door and lock needs. Benson believed people needed a one-stop shop for locksmithing needs nationwide.
In the beginning, LockNet focused on servicing facilities and retail stores locally, but since then, LockNet has continued to grow steadily and in 1996 the demand for key systems became so high, the company began to service facilities nationwide.
LockNet Today
Chad Miller, the son of Benson Miller, officially became part of the LockNet team in 1998. Ten years later in 2008, he became CEO, a position he still holds today. Katie Willie, Benson’s daughter, also joined the family business and currently resides as LockNet’s Marketing Director.
Last year we enjoyed our most profitable/successful year to date and if the first half of 2015 is any indicator, Locknet won’t be slowing down anytime soon.