One Source incorporates locksmithing division

MERRIMACK, N.H.--With no licensing for locksmiths in the state of New Hampshire, and a long-time partner no longer in the business, access and video integrator One Source Security decided this fall it was time to open up its own locksmithing division rather than continue to sub-contract out business. “This way we’re not at risk,” said Shane Thornton, vice president and co-owner, “and we require our locksmith employees to go through the same background checking as our security employees.” The move is concurrent with the company’s relocation to new, larger offices, with triple the warehousing space and a new tech room where the company can test new products and train new employees. “We were in our old facility for seven years and we’ve simply outgrown it,” said Thornton. The company now employs 18 full-time. Two of those are dedicated to the locksmithing operation, but Thornton said the company will soon have four full-time locksmiths. “Part of the new division is to complement the security work,” he said, “but we want to expand our services and bring in additional customers through the locksmith work as well.” Thornton, who founded the company with president/co-owner Steve Hammes in 1994, said he’s already seeing a good return on the locksmith investment. As a whole, Thornton said One Source has found a “great niche” in the industrial market, working primarily with Identicard, Northern Computers (now Honeywell), Napco and Toshiba. “We have accounts now in 15, 16 states,” he said. “We’re a small company, but it’s worked out unbelievably for us.” He said One Source tries to control the quality of the work by sub-contracting as little as possible and by avoiding proprietary equipment as much as possible. “We get too many calls from people who are locked in with equipment and it’s cost-prohibitive to change out the system,” he said, “and that’s a terrible position for an end user to be in.”