Aaron Mamer and Zach Langman are the owners of AZ Securities, the Twin Cities go-to locksmith service provider.
Mamer grew up in the suburb of Hastings, and Langman is from Cameron, Wisconsin, which is located 45 minutes north of Eau Claire.
Both grew up on a farm and learned the importance of hard work and dedication.
As teenagers, Mamer enjoyed playing sports, which kept him out of trouble.
“I wasn’t too crazy, so I had that going for me,” Mamer jokes.
Unlike Mamer, Langman was more involved socially.
“I played center in football, so I was a little overweight. I was an awkward kid. I joked around a little bit, and I was known as the public speaking guy because I got up and did a speech in front of the whole school,” he says.
Post-high school, both Mamer and Langman enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where they pledged to join the same fraternity, and that is actually how they met.
“I changed in college,” Langman says.
“I got a little louder and wasn’t afraid to talk more.”
Mamer later earned a degree in Agricultural Business, but midway through his education journey, Langman no longer felt compelled to finish his Political Science program.
“I actually didn’t get my degree because during my junior year, I realized I didn’t want to do anything with Political Science,” Langman remarks.
When Langman left River Falls, he went back to his hometown of Cameron and started welding, a trade he continued in for the next several years until he learned about being a locksmith.
“I was actually looking for electrician apprenticeships, but I ended up getting in with a company and that’s how I became a locksmith,” says Langman, who is fascinated by taking mechanisms apart and reassembling them.
For his part, Mamer also stumbled into the locksmith industry after working as a sales consultant for a subsidiary company of John Deere.
When the two college buddies later reconvened and began living together, of course the banter was as lively as it was back in River Falls, but the two also had developed into bona fide professionals, and then something magical unfolded when they were out to eat one evening.
“We started to realize that we could open our own locksmith business,” says Langman, who knew the trade well, plus what it took to run a locksmith business.
“And there wasn’t a lot of upfront costs,” Langman adds.
Soon, the duo opened an LLC and began servicing clients, which enabled them to purchase a van that they currently have wrapped in company insignia.
“It all fell together, and here we are over a year later, and things are just kind of working out,” the modest Mamer says with a beaming smile.
For context, in its simplest form, AZ Securities makes doors open and close properly, but they also can repair and/or replace any type of lock that is currently on a door.
“There is no one right answer, but there always seems to be one solution that works best for the client,” Langman says.
“We’re all about doing what we can to make the customer feel like they are receiving the most optimal solution.”
AZ Securities services both residential and commercial properties, and usually within 24 hours.
“We can do quite a few things quickly and effectively,” Langman mentions.
AZ Securities is currently working on a building that has 52 doors, and the pair is manufacturing all new keys and installing brand new hardware for each door.
They landed this project through a referral, which is how they often secure new business with property management companies and builders.
“We like to build relationships with those types of companies because they usually have multiple buildings,” Mamer says.
“We can help with all of them simply by doing what we say we’re going to do and doing it in a timely manner.”
AZ Securities also offers warranties on all their jobs, so if a homeowner or commercial client, for whatever reason, has problems with their doors or locks, Mamer and Langman will return to rectify the issue, at no cost to the client.
“We test everything to make sure it works right the first time,” Langman states, simultaneously emphasizing that since they have been in business, they have received zero callbacks for faltering products.
“Still, if we install something brand new that doesn’t work, we’ll come out immediately, not two weeks later, at no cost to the client, and make sure it gets fixed.”
This level of attention to detail offered by Mamer and Langman should be industry-standard, but sometimes other locksmith companies gloss over key details during an initial walkthrough, which leads to problems later on.
Worse, those same companies can be slow in remedying any complications that arise, which is why it is important that clients place a premium on finding a reputable locksmith who will do the job correctly the first time.
“Again, when we leave, everything will work exactly as it should. If it doesn’t, then the onus is on us to fix it, but fortunately we haven’t had any issues with our products failing,” Langman insists.
Adds Mamer:
“When you call us, you’re talking to one of us. You don’t have to jump through five hoops just to get some answers. When you call, you get somebody who knows how to help you with whatever problem you have.”
In that sense, AZ Securities is a full concierge locksmith service.
They are open 24/7, 365 days per year, and like any business, they want to expand their market share, but Mamer and Langman are quick to point out that any growth will be done organically and methodically, so as not to compromise on customer service.
“We have talked extensively about hiring people on, but right now we are happy going out and getting things done ourselves,” Langman explains.
“I like that because as an owner, I feel good about telling a customer that their problem is taken care of.”
Says Mamer:
“We aren’t going to expand until we can ensure that the quality of our work and customer service won’t take a hit.”
“We don’t want to risk all the relationships we have built with customers for short-term gains. We’re in this for the long-term, and we are going to do everything we can to sustain our current philosophies as we expand.” QS
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