Burdine Security Group, a family owned operation that this year is celebrating its 80th anniversary, has been helping keep its customers and their belongings secure since well before the advent of electronic security systems and other high-tech devices. The business began in 1939 as Pinkston’s Service, a repair shop and locksmith in downtown Lexington with Haldon Pinkston at the helm. The name changed to Pinkston’s Hardware & Service in 1964, and two decades later there was a new owner, David Burdine, himself a master locksmith who had worked for Pinkston’s as a teenager.
The name Pinkston’s Locksmith is still associated with Burdine Security Group. “We don’t care what you call us as long as you call us,” said Will Burdine, David’s son and president of the company since 2014.
Now located on Leestown Road in the Meadowthorpe shopping center, customers can walk in off the street to have keys made or pick up a variety of door hardware and mechanical locks, deadbolts or padlocks. A showroom is outfitted with burglar alarms, closed-circuit television systems (CCTV), video doorbells and access control systems so a homeowner or business owner can see how the systems work.
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David Burdine, left, and Will Burdine, with Bella the boxer and Roxy, a collie.
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President of Burdine Security Group Will Burdine with company guard dog, Roxy.
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An antique machine used to make skeleton keys.
“Mechanical locks with keys will always be around, but it’s not a growth market,” Will Burdine said. A physical keylock is necessary in an emergency override situation, for example. “There’s a significant increase in electromechanical devices,” he said. “Commercial, residential and government companies are looking for additional ways to have greater security features.”
With an access control system, a business owner knows which proximity cards were used by specific employees. The cards can be activated or deactivated at any time to control access via exterior or interior doors. The card itself can take the form of a card worn on a lanyard, or key fobs, bracelets, sticky discs for phone covers and even smartphone apps.
“It’s a different time and a different world,” Will Burdine said. Our advice is to “be more proactive instead of reactive by not allowing unauthorized individuals into your facility.”
Will Burdine grew up in the family business. “I started coming into the shop and stamping keys at 8 years old,” he said. By age 14 he was working during the summers. When he graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2003 with a degree in finance, he went to work for a hardware distributor to learn more about the industry from the manufacturing and distribution side. “My knowledge and expertise grew, and guided me back to the family company,” he said.
The father-and-son Burdines and their staff continually research and test new technologies and participate in tradeshows to maintain relationships with industry manufacturers. “You never stop learning,” Will Burdine said. “Technology moves at such a rapid pace you have to keep up.”
"We provide service and solutions. Security is peace of mind.” — Will Burdine
Burdine Security Group’s customers throughout Central Kentucky range from residential and commercial owners to colleges and government agencies. There are 10 employees with expertise and factory training in safes, locks, CCTV, security and access control. Even as the company continues to see year-over-year growth, no one on the payroll has a title involving new business development, however.
“We don’t have salesmen,” Will Burdine said. “For security, it is the wrong motivation, especially in residential. We provide service and solutions. Security is peace of mind.”