SPOTLIGHT INSTITUTIONAL ALOA Institutional Locksmith Survey Help AIL make the industry stronger than ever. By John Truempy, ICML, CRL, CMIL, IFDI with information specific to their jobs. A Different Types of Lock Shops Lock shops are found under all sorts of departments. I work for facilities and real estate services, while others work for public safety or risk management. Hardware is handled differently depending on the trade. I usually split hardware work on doors with carpenters. I’ll do the lock or exit device while they do the hinges and closer. With another friend, if it’s hardware and it’s on a door, it’s his. Yet other shops only install cores aſter the carpenters install the locks. Even non-security hardware is unique. For example, a friend works on cash registers and parking gates. I never touch them at my job. However, I work on time clocks and in the past have had the responsibility of servicing sanitary napkin machines. Access control can also be in-house or outsourced. Unless it’s standalone, I don’t do any work past the solenoid if it’s tied into our access control system. There are others who do it all, including maintaining the access control database in their shops. There are also union and non-union shops. Online Survey To fill out the survey online, go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/ AILSurvey2014 I am in a union town and the main university shops are union. However, there’s a shop in one of the hospitals my university owns that is non-union. 22 KEYNOTES MARCH 2014 s an institutional locksmith, I believe it’s important to collect data on this segment of the industry. I learn more about the diversity of the insti- tutional segment every time I talk to a member. That’s why I’ve developed an ALOA Institutional Locksmith survey (see page 23) for AIL members to fill out AIL Survey I would love to talk to all of you about these details as they pertain to your shop, but I can’t take that much time off from my day job. On page 23 you’ll see a survey regarding general institutional locksmithing. Since this is the first AIL survey, we’re asking general questions. My hope is that in the future we can explore more specific areas. Even the most basic information you pro- vide will help the AIL board choose pro- grams that will best serve our members. Other information will help AIL answer questions for our parent, ALOA, such as how many AIL members have their membership fees paid for or reimbursed by their employ- ers. This has come up frequently when deal- ing with the question of membership dues being tax deductible. Many times for AIL members the only tax advantage for mem- bership dues is that they can be deducted as an unreimbursed employee expense — assuming the member itemizes deductions. As an incentive, I’ll personally send a $25 Visa giſt card to one member who fills out the survey, and free AIL hats to a few others (all chosen at random from the submissions). However, I hope most of you will submit the survey simply because you want to make AIL the best that it can be. n Truempy, ICML, CRL, L, IFDI, is employed at the versity of Pennsylvania, re he’s been a locksmith r more than 21 years. Prior at, he spent a few years s a commercial locksmith d worked for the State of w Jersey at Trenton State chiatric Hospital. As irst president of ALOA L), the ALOA SPAI divi- f association management n many books focusing on c applications for master key systems, including Advanced Master Keying Skills and Master Key System Specification, Application & Management. He also teaches both fundamental and advanced locksmith subjects. WWW.ALOA.ORG
