CHARLESTON, W. Va. – For decades, residents and businesses in Charleston, W. Va., have found that when they need to install an alarm system or fix a lock, the place to turn to is Judith Judy’s basement. Judy’s Locksmiths and Alarmmasters is celebrating its 100th year in business, nearly 50 of those with the basement of Judy’s longtime home serving as the company’s hub of operations.
Judy says the best tips on keeping a company going for more than a century lie in the ability to persevere and be open to changes in the business.
“You need to realize you have to grow. You need to understand what your clients need. You’re going to lose out if you ignore that,” Judy says.
Changing with the times is one reason why Judy’s expanded beyond its locksmith business in 1991 and got into the alarm business. Now, they have one of the few National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies’ (NICET)-certified fire alarm technicians in West Virginia.
“I have very good service people working for me,” Judy says. “They’re very innovative and able to come up with ideas when people think ‘you can’t do that.'”
Judith, who runs the company, is the third generation of Judys to helm the business. Judith’s grandfather, H.R. Judy, started the company in 1904 as an offshoot of his work as a jeweler. The business was passed on to Judith’s parents, Raeburn and Madlyn. Judith was born in the company’s storage room. Decades before the phrase “work-at-home mom” was coined, Raeburn added a basement to the family home and moved the business there in 1950.
“Mom and dad opened shop up here so she can still oversee the children,” Judith says. “She wanted to be able to take care of her children.”
Company Named Exclusive U.S. Distributor for Hyundai Telecom
FULLERTON, Calif. – If a Fullerton, Calif., distributor has its way, Hyundai will become as well known a name for security in the United States as it is for cars. World Trade Group Inc. has been named as the exclusive North American distributor for Hyundai Telecom digital security systems.
Hyundai manufactures commercial, residential and multiresidential systems, including CCTV and access control. According to World Trade Group President Adel Saad, some of the most exciting offerings that Hyundai brings to the residential market include a video-entry system that can be viewed through any home television set.
“This is something new to the American market,” says Saad.
