Grayso Enterprise Ltd Firs N Seria Rights .hePage # U-CHANG LOC SYSTEMS READ FO TAKE-OFF Writte an Photographe b Jun Grayson A graduat o th Unite State Ai Forc Academy Bil Dillar planne t mak flyin hi career Whe hi distan visio suddenl deteriorated h neede ne goals H foun worth challeng i hi father' busines turnaroun situation No h hope tha sale an profit ar read t soa. I yo wer brough u t believ th ol adage Buil Bette Mousetra an th Worl Wil Bea Pat T You Door forge it Grea idea ar dim dozen I yo don' hav th righ marketin pla t pu int play you ide ma g nowhee. I i no tha -Chang Loc System di no hav bette "mousetrap" Th -Chang loc cylinde ma wel revolutioniz th loc industry Bu i wa strictl smal tim unti 1982 wit yearl sale o $100,000. Dillar ha spen th las seve year forgin ne sale an servic structur tha h confidentl expect wil mak hi compan majo playe i th securit indutr b th 21s century. Wha make th -Chang loc cylinde uniqu i tha yo ca reke i withou callin technician Yo ca d i yoursel i second an yo don' nee t tak anythin ou o th door Thi make i idea fo larg retai chai store tha traditional hav hig employe turnover. I someon lose ke o i yo hav t fir a employee her i al yo d t chang th lock 1 pu th presen ke i th lock 2 inser th chang too int it sli abov th keyhole 3 remov th presen ke an replac i wit th desire ne ke whil th chang too i i place an 4 remov h chang tool Th loc i no se fo th ne key. Th chang too make thi eas an speed conversio possibl b liftin th cylinder' adjustabl tumbler awa fro th key Whe th ne ke i inserte an th chang too removed th tumbler fal int plac an confor t th patter th ne key. Th loc ca b change 1,00 way dependin upo th specifi ke used Bu i a owne need duplicat key h mus reques i throug -Chang headquarters Thes key canno b duplicate a ke sho becaus blank ar no available thi providing anothe built-i securit factor. Lewi J Hill workin locksmit o Oklahom City invente th concep an obtaine th firs paten i 1970 Hil an severa friend too flyin lesson fro th sam fligh instructo a Wile Pos Airport Hil neede busines partners Hi friend wante t mak money Dillard' fathe wa on o ths friends. Th elde Dillard als name Bil (Bil J. wa the a engineerin associat a Wester Electric Originally h wa onl mino playe i th ne business Th investor forme tw corporations on fo manufacturin an on fo marketing The spen ove $350,00 ove th nex si year t develo th clinde fro concep t salabl product. "Thing go of t rock start, say th son "Wit th benefi o 20/2 hindsight w no realiz tha th mone spen o marketin coul hav bee bette spen t ge th bug ou o th product Whe th cylinder starte t com bac becaus o efects th tw companie blame eac other." Eventually fortune an spirit sun s lo tha al tha th owner wante t d wa t ge ou unde an circumstances "Whe m fathe realize tha th busines coul g b default h borrowe $100,00 an bough bot companie himsel i 1981 Lewi Hil retain hi origina paten an th presen compan pay hi royalties fe o th origina partner remai a passiv investors Th elde Dillar ha hig hope fo hi ne company H gav himsel on yea t perfec th product Hi engineerin backgroun wa wha th compan neede a tha time The h planne t retir fro Wester Electri an devot himsel ful tim t hi ne company. Bu i th fal o 1982 th elde Dillar ha nea fata stroke H remaine i com fo severa weeks "O pape wa th vic-presiden o th company, continue Bil D Dillard th elde so an presen CEO "Althoug ha attende som boar an stockholde meetings ha n da-t-da knowledg o compan operations Whe i becam obviou tha m fathe woul no b abl t functio an tim soon i wa u t me eithe ha t rescu th compan o le i sink Ou outpu the wa thre thousan cylinder yea wit on fron ofic gir an tw machin operators." " sa tha ha t d tw thing a onc i ther wa an hop o rescuin th company develo sale progra an increas production, continue Dillard "A i turn out thes ar th sam tw thing hav attende t fo th las seve yeas." I Bil Dillar ha know tha h woul hav t tak ove th company h coul no hav prepare himsel an better A graduat o th Unite State Ai Forc Academy h ha engineerin an technica training Whe h kne h coul no becom pilot h turne t busines track H go hi masters degre i on yea a th Ai Forc Institut o Technology Dayton Ohio studyin logistic management H planne t bu aircraf fo th government H worke nex a McDonnel Dougla-Douglas St Louis a contrac negotiator " woul g dow o th factor floo an coun th motion i too t mak something woul tim th machines woul as questions wh d yo d i thi wa instea o tha way go a educatio yo canno ge i colleg classroom. I 1982 fortuitously h move bac t Oklahom Cit t atten la schoo an star hi ow consultin busines t companie tha wante t secur governmen contracts I th meantim hi younge brothe ha earne hi degre i mechanica engineering. Whe th father' disabilit continued th compan passe t th contro o th childre b mean o famil trust Th compan stil ha uniqu produc wit grea potentia an no i ha ne officer wit busines an technica skills Bu ther wa stil n marketin pla o distributio syste t ge th produc t th customer the kne wer ou there. "The on o thos grea thing happene tha som peopl cal fat o coincidence, Dillar continues Dillar doe no believ i fate " prefe t thin tha th goo Lor jus sen m th hel neede whe neede i th most. Rus Myers hig schoo frien an kindre spirit an wit year o nationa sale experience move bac t Oklahom Cit an aske t joi th company H woul hav t com u wit ne approac fo sellin th produc prett dar quick Usuall lock ar sol throug distributor wh the sel the t buildin contractors locksmiths an retai outlets "Th -Chang loc canno b sol tha way, explain Dillard "No onl ar yo buyin thi loc an th ke tha goe wit it bu yo ar buyin lifetim system W literall ha t buil ou custome bas an ou installatio an servic bas a th sam time. Myer woul g t prospectiv clien an sa her i wha yo need Th clien woul agree yes nee it bu ho t d ge it? Dillar enliste th hel o th staf o ALOA th Associate Locksmith o America A firs ther wa som anxiet o th par o locksmith wh wondere i thi ne produc woul pu the ou o business " No tha the understan tha ther i mone t mak an plent o busines fo everyone, w hav n troubl signin u locksmiths, Dillar says. Th compan look fo locksmit alread wel establishe i commercia an industria wor an offer hi a exclusiv contrac fo hi geographica area H wil instal th produc an b availabl fo twenty-fou hou servic calls. Ou continuin focu ha alway bee custome satisfaction, Dillar says " a convince tha i w trea the righ w wil hav custome fo life I w promis the somethin w alway delive an w explai an problem tha com up Onc the ge fee fo ou system the reall lov i an w hav neve ha custome withdra afte th initia sign-up." Wha wil i cos stor t conver t th -Chang loc system Dillar says " nationa chai wit 2,00 store an wit fou t si cylinder pe stor ma spen aroun $500,00 initially aroun $10 pe lock Eac stor wil probabl star ou wit a leas on extr se o keys W ar workin o compute softwar progra no s tha key ca b automaticall exchange amon store i system Thi wil provid mor securit a wel a sav th compan money." On o th firs client t bu int th -Chang Loc Syste wa th Limite Group wit mor tha tw thousan store i th nation' shoppin malls Win Dixi-Davi Grocer Store an TGI ar othe satisfie customers "Yo hav t realiz tha cos o $500,00 become reductio i operatin expens fro tha tim on s compan ha financia incentiv t g wit ou system, say Dillard I 1989 -Chang I plan t b abl t offe fo th firs tim ful produc system includin lock fo al interio doors an maste keys Wit al system no go Dillar expect 198 t b th firs yea o explosiv growt fo th company. Projecte sale fo 198 ar expecte t reac on millio an th pla i t doubl productio an sale fo th nex fiv years reachin te millio i sale b 1992 " tel you, Dillar grins "w ar reall havin fun!" Th oi bel i stil i trouble Oklahom continue t hav toug time Everyon els i stil cuttin back Bu th -Chang Loc Compan i growin an doin great "Everyon ask m ho w d it, Dillar says "W hav goo idea W hav goo product W hav goo people coul no d thi b myself trul fee tha hav bee prepare fo thi specifi job othe peopl hav bee prepared an tha i al fit together. Fo suc smal company -Chang Lock ha alread don som unusua an excitin things "W alread hav tuitio assistanc program W coul no affor t recrui th technica graduate w neede a th hig startin salarie the wer abl t command S recruite the whe the wer jus startin ou a freshman wen t al o th vocationa school an aske th dean t poin ou thei bes students The w offere the ou plan jus a th Ai Forc mad m educatio possible W hel the wit thei schooling the w\wor par tim fo us an w as the t commi t u fo perio o tim afte graduation Som o the mov o t bigge an bette things bu i th meantim w ge qualit worker machinists accountants an compute specialists fo example. Dillar an Myer hav bigge an bette plan o th books t fue th explosiv growt the expec t tak place "A soo a ou ful servic lin i ready w pla t mov int th apartment hotel-motel an colleg markets, Dillar says "Do yo kno ho man dormitorie ar ou there W ca penetrat tha marke efficientl b attendin thei yearl associatio meetings Ou loc wil sel itself Ther i n competitio ou there Ou pla i t b full entrenche i th securit busines b th nex century W wil g int electroni securit an securit services W wan t b th majo playe i th industr whe ou patent star t ru out." Dillar run hi busines th wa h run hi lif ethically "Whe perso applie fo mo wit ou company w acquain hi th standard b whic w ru th company W will no tolerat an doubl dealin a -Change thin i i th exceptio t fid successfu perso wh doe i b cheatin peopl I migh b easie t ge awa wit tha fo awhil i a bigge company bu a stil convince tha ultimatel i doe no work Wha i righ i right I i jus goo busines t b good."