Biz Buzz: Rexburg locksmiths share secrets of success after 40 years of business
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BIZ BUZZ
REXBURG
Rexbury lock and security shop celebrating 40 years of business
REXBURG – For Mike Rowley, running a successful business for 40 years boils down to two things — adapting to change and taking care of people.
He opened ARC Electronics at 47 East Main Street in Rexburg in 1982. Today, it’s operating at the same location under the name ARK Security.
Rowley and his son, Steven, who is the business manager, celebrated the company’s 40th anniversary on Aug. 23 — the same day he launched it four decades ago. In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Mike explained the significance of that date.
“It was my daughter’s first birthday, so we can always remember (when it opened),” Mike says. “It’s really been good for us because every one of our children has worked here.”
The business has provided a variety of services over the years, including car stereo installations and Dish network subscriptions.
As those services have come and gone, the one thing that’s remained consistent is locksmithing and key duplications.
Steven showed us what making keys is like, which you can watch in the video above.
After four decades of serving customers, Mike says he prides himself on the business’s reputation, and he’s thrilled to still have a service that’s needed.
“Your business ideal when you open is this — as things go on, you always make changes,” says Mike, referring to the death of specific services over the years. “The main idea behind this business has always been helping people.”
He cites specific instances where someone called because their young child was locked in the car. Mike was able to respond quickly to unlock the vehicle and provide a service at no cost.
“Average response time is three to five minutes. We’re there, we open the car, and the child’s good. That’s rewarding,” he says. “I’ve had people get upset because we didn’t charge them (in those instances).”
Many people call law enforcement when they’re locked out of their vehicle, and Mike is the first person dispatchers call in those situations.
Mike recalls the police chief telling him many years ago to get there “as fast as you can go safely.”
“Ninety percent of the time I beat the officer there and have the car open before he even gets there,” Mike says.
Steven came on board as the manager in 2010 after graduating from Brigham Young University-Idaho. He enjoys having a skillset that’s not taught at a university and being able to teach those skills to a new generation.
Opening a business and adapting to change
In his younger days, long before he ever thought of opening a business, Mike remembers working for a locksmith who told him he’d never be able to make a living in that profession.
So he left and set up shop in Rexburg while attending classes to improve his knowledge and expertise.
By staying focused on helping people, Mike says he’s been successful working in a niche industry.
“We could raise our prices greatly to make it more profitable, but that isn’t the idea behind what we did,” Mike says.
Steven grew up working in the business with his dad and was heavily involved in the car stereo and electronics side early on.
He wanted to do something else after graduating high school, but eventually opted to obtain a business degree and earn his living in the same company his dad created.
“After I graduated (from college), I decided to really look at our business model, and that’s when we made a lot of changes,” Steven says.
One of them was the name. It transitioned from ARC Electronics to ARK Lock & Security when he started as manager 12 years ago.
Other changes have been technology-related. Acquiring new resources and skills has allowed the business to continue making keys and unlocking cars equipped with sophisticated electronic circuitry.
“Locksmithing is an older, good ol’ boy service, and there’s not a lot of younger people going into the industry. So the fact that we’ve made the decision to invest the money and keep up with technology has been one of the best decisions,” Steven says.
Steven is planning to eventually buy the business from his dad, who is hoping to retire in the near future.
As Mike approaches the end of his career, he is grateful to the people of Rexburg for “being so good” to him over the years. He’s looking forward to taking care of customers for as long as he can.
“Our normal response time is anywhere from two hours to one day (depending on where the customer is located),” Mike says. “They’re always saying, ‘How come you guys can be here so fast when I can’t get these other guys for four or five days?’ That’s just the attitude of what we do.”
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