Founded in 1955, over the past 70 years Lockmasters has grown to be full wholesale distributor and leader in education and training.
“Lockmasters was founded around safe lock training, specifically combination lock manipulation, establishing education as the core competency of the business,” says Beau Edelen, Senior VP of Sales and Business Development for Lockmasters. “That original ‘safe cracking’ curriculum still exists today in updated form through Lockmasters Security Institute (LSI).”
Over the decades, the company expanded from training into tool and equipment development, becoming an inventor and master distributor of locksmith tools and safe servicing equipment that support its courses. As Edelen points out, “The business grew into a full-blown wholesale distribution, training and manufacturing ecosystem, including the development and on-site manufacturing of the LKM10K high security FF L 2890C pedestrian door lock series in Nicholasville, Kentucky, which now has thousands of units in use worldwide.”
Looking closer at the product innovation side, the company recently unveiled the Lockmasters’ RF/STC Door-in-a-Box SCIF solution, which delivers a fully integrated, ICD 705–compliant entrance designed to protect classified environments without costly field modifications. Engineered to meet stringent RF attenuation and sound transmission class (STC) requirements, the factory-assembled system ensures consistent performance and faster installation. When paired with the Lockmasters LKM10K FF-L-2890C GSA-approved door lock series, the solution provides certified high-security access control, auditability, and reliability. Together, the door, frame, seals, and hardware create a turnkey SCIF entry that simplifies accreditation, reduces risk, and ensures long-term operational integrity.
Lockmasters’ Training Takes Center Stage
Lockmasters formalized its education arm as LSI with a 26,000 square foot training complex in Nicholasville, Kentucky, that delivers locksmithing, safe lock, access control, and government focused courses to security professionals, including military and commercial students. Recently, the company has continued to evolve through geographic and capability expansion, including opening a Las Vegas distribution and education center and acquiring related security businesses such TimeMaster, Allied Locksmith Supply, JLM Wholesale, Orchard Hardware and Signal Defense, which broaden its shielding and specialized security offerings.
“Lockmasters is an education-first distributor, meaning we lead with educating our customers on the products and solutions available to solve unique problems,” explains Edelen. “Many other distributors offer training, be it at tradeshows, expos, or branch events, and those are all great, but the courses available from Lockmasters Security Institute are a cut above. We have full-time instructors on staff who have real world experience in solving problems, and that knowledge is passed along to our students.”
Additionally, Lockmasters has extensive subject-matter expertise on staff, from safe and safe locks to electronic access control, to commercial locksmithing, to automotive locksmithing, to specialty doors and other unique applications.
“Education has grown from Lockmasters’ original purpose into the backbone of its entire business model, driving how it designs products, serves customers, and positions itself in the security industry,” says Edelen. “Training is now treated not as a side offering but as a core service that supports government, military, and commercial security professionals throughout their careers.”
The Mark C. Miller Training Center in Kentucky has grown into LSI’s flagship hub for hands on security education, while the Maryland training centers extend that same expertise into the Washington, D.C. corridor to support GSA and SCIF ICD 705, and federal customers closer to where they work. Together, they give LSI a true multi-site footprint — Kentucky as the main campus and Maryland as a high demand satellite — so students can access identical, high-level training without always traveling to headquarters.
The new Las Vegas education center, which opened in the fall of 2025, strengthens Lockmasters training by adding a full West coast hub with a variety of our instructor-led “hands-on” classes, real world labs, and integrated events that make high end courses more accessible. The Las Vegas center gives students in the western U.S. and the Pacific Rim a local site for LSI’s “industry leading hands-on training,” adds Edelen.
Leveling up Locksmiths’ Skills
Lockmasters continues to improve on existing training courses while introducing new ones to help locksmiths, from beginners to more advanced courses. For example, LSI’s new Intro to Locksmithing (Commercial & Residential) is a five-day hands-on introductory locksmith course geared toward the beginner residential and commercial locksmith. Students don’t need any experience or formal locksmith training to take this hands-on course, and it is perfect for any age individual who wants to either begin a career or start a new career.
This course covers the basics of keys and locks and how they function, the types available and how to identify different manufacturers. Basic pinning and disassembly of different locks will be reviewed in detail and students are taught proper installation, troubleshooting, and re-keying of knob-lock and deadbolts, including spending a full day duplicating and code cutting keys. Students will be performing basic by-pass techniques: lock picking, cam lock impressioning, bumping and tool specific lock by-pass, including the Lishi 2-in-1 pick & decoding tool.
Moving beyond the basic locksmithing course, LSI’s Professional Locksmithing II: Door & Door Hardware Installation, is a five-day hands-on course that provides comprehensive knowledge of wood and metal doors, knockdown door frames, and a variety of door hardware installation. The training received in this course provides the skills to confidently work in the field as a (wood and metal) door and door hardware installation technician. Students will also gain the knowledge to competently make hardware recommendations for exit/entrance doors that meet or exceed requirements of the ADA and NFPA101.
This course is ideal for students who have completed the Professional Locksmithing course and are looking for the next step in continuing their professional education and is also great for the experienced technicians who are looking to add additional skills to their service capabilities. Prospective students are typically commercial and residential locksmiths, access control technicians, building maintenance personnel, government and military support personnel, security contractors, structure technicians. Course topics include hinges and adjustments, exit devices, exit trim, door closers and adjustments, mortise locks, kick plates, continuous gear hinges.
And LSI’s Access Control Technician course is 10 days of training that provides the basic knowledge of multiple access control platforms, such as standalone, distributed processing and host. Students will learn the basic concepts, technologies and definitions used in the industry, and by the end of the first week will understand the hardware associated with the installation of an access control system, as well as basic electricity. With practical exercise students will explore the beginning stages of building a system.
LSI’s Access Control course is ideal for individuals who have never had formal training or for those who are interested in making a career change in the highly competitive field of electronic access control. The hands-on portion of the class, taught in a real-world lab, provides students with the necessary skills to become a technician. The students will complete a site survey of their door, install hardware, wire, troubleshoot and program multiple access control systems and by the end of the course have installed a complete system.
There’s a basic overview of standalone access control hardware (Schlage CO-100, Alarm Lock T-2) installation, program for single door systems; single door wired systems (Keri Intelli-Prox, Altronix Boards, IEI Door-Gard) as well as multi-door wired system (Keri NXT-2 door with Mercury). Time is spent with basic demos of mechanical hardware, electrified hardware (hinges, locks, exit devices, electric strikes, keypads, scanners). The course also covers AC and DC circuits, relays, switches, etc. as well as wiring up a basic application with batteries, power supplies using locks, mags or strikes.
Students will also spend time in the door lab pulling wire from your power supplies to the door to install mag locks, keypads, electric strikes. Students are instructed how to properly prep the doors in the field for raceways and can choose to run concealed connections or surface applied connections. The course also reviews authentication formats, such as HID, Mifare, Smart Card, Weigand, RFID, Ekeys, and simple prox systems, learning concepts as well as getting a general overview of stand-alone vs online/offline access control systems.
Lockmasters also offers several complementary courses to continually grow skill sets from locksmithing to automotive to safe courses. View the full course schedule at www.lsieducation.com.
Responding to Industry Needs
As a leader in both distribution and training, Lockmasters see its strongest demand in high security government work (GSA/SCIF), professional locksmithing and safe work, and door hardware and access control projects where code compliance and specialized hardware are critical. These verticals align directly with its products, tools, and LSI training, so “customers often rely on Lockmasters as an all-in-one partner for both equipment and expertise,” says Edelen.
Looking at the major trends that are reshaping locksmithing, Edelen sees the ongoing shift to electronic and smart solutions, growing SCIF/secure facility work, and demand for advanced training as top areas of focus.
“Lockmasters is responding by expanding electronic access, SCIF, RF, and automotive curricula and aligning its product lines to support those technologies,” he explains. “Mechanical locksmithing and safe work remain foundational, but the fastest growth is in areas where electronics, networking, and construction standards intersect with traditional door and lock skills.”
Overall, Edelen says the company is bullish on the future of an industry that has always been resilient and willing to learn to grow and improve business.
“We are very optimistic about the industry,” he says “The industry is ever-changing, with ongoing consolidation, evolving product technologies, and the looming impacts of AI, but we at Lockmasters keep a close eye on these things and how they can impact our business. We see a lot of ‘blurred lines’ and that is not slowing down. Now you’ve got commercial locksmiths selling and installing hollow metal doors; you’ve got door companies installing access control and video surveillance systems; and the security integrators are learning how to become locksmiths. Overall, these blurred lines are an opportunity for Lockmasters to act as the subject matter expert for many types of projects and assist our customers in succeeding in the markets they serve. That remains a core focus in 2026.”
In addition to the ever-expanding education offerings, Lockmasters is also launching a new website and ecommerce experience soon.
Lockmasters is also busy supporting its customers at conferences and trade shows throughout the year. “We just wrapped up the ATMIA show in Texas, which was a great show for Lockmasters, given our vast reach in the safe lock industry, which is quickly evolving to an IP-based solution,” says Edelen. “Industry mainstays, like ISC West, ALOA, and SHDA are all on the calendar, as well as some regional industry shows, like Yankee Security Convention and the Alabama Locksmith Association show. We believe there is value in these in-person events, and we bring a lot of products and tools to display, as there is still nothing better than physically touching and feeling something in your hand. We also enjoy the social time with our customers and suppliers at these events. At this point, there is no digital equivalent to that experience!”
About the Author
Paul Ragusa
Senior Editor
Paul Ragusa is senior editor for Locksmith Ledger. He has worked as an editor in the security industry for nearly 10 years. He can be reached at [email protected].