Frank Minnella, the late co-founder of Lock America International, started out not in locks, but in chips, corn chips, that is, as a route salesman for Frito-Lay, the upstart company that took on Wise Potato Chips back in the 1960s. Frank had great success with his route sales, building his chip business by listening to his route customers. But he ran up to the good salesman’s dilemma—every time he topped his quota, management scooped out the territory, and gave him a new one. He soon changed his industry to retail locks, and when the same thing happened again, in 1981, he joined with Stephen Shiao, a partner with manufacturing skills, and they went out on their own, founding Lock America International in Steve’s garage. They kept the their day jobs till they got off the ground.
The 1980s were a growth time for video games, and Lock America had the locks to replace cheap shipper locks with the key control systems their customers needed. Business grew, right from the start. Frank and Steve also learned that diversity and innovation were the keys to success. They moved on to vending, and then, to the growing self-storage industry, first with packaged retail locks, and then breaking out with the cylinder lock and latch system, a new product, developed with a self-storage operator.
The lock and latch system revolutionized self-storage security by delivering a much higher level of door security, while also providing a simple fool-proof overlock system. The Enforcer System was a solution to a problem: thieves were cutting the locks off unit doors: Frank and his partner came up with a solution: put the lock inside the door—a cylinder lock based on amusement and vending locks!
Frank recognized early on that he would build his business by working with his customers, at their sites, and at trade shows, where he knew that the real work gets done after exhibit hours. He based his business on listening and providing solutions, not delivering a menu of parts numbers and prices. Lock America never posted a price list on its website, because Frank always felt that a real person should manage each transaction, and find out what a customer really needed.
From amusement, vending and self-storage, Lock America never rested, adding petroleum and propane distribution to their markets. Lock America’s petroleum distribution products were based on the tried and true replacement lock system, but Lock America’s propane success was based on Frank’s development of a innovative new product, a Fill Valve and POLock, developed with a business associate.
Until the Lock America fill valve lock, when a propane customer became delinquent, propane suppliers could only attach a cheap seal or cumbersome clam shell padlock contraption to seal off the tank. Before the Fill Valve Lock and POLock, when a propane customer signed an auto fill contract, it was the honor system or a cheap lock or seal that kept a cheap competitor out.
Much like the Enforcer lock and latch system, 
Lock America’s Fill Valve lock revolutionized the propane delivery system by ensuring that only the authorized supplier had access to the tank.
In the case of the Enforcer Lock for self-storage and the Fill Valve lock for propane, it was Frank’s ability to see a solution to a customer’s problem, by building on a concept from another industry. His self-storage customers wanted more than padlock protection, and Frank put a camlock in the door. His propane customers wanted to control their tanks, and he put an overlock on the valve. It was listening that led to innovation.
It was that drive to listen and innovate that guided Frank well into his fourth decade in the security lock industry. Recently, he had been working to develop a cost-effective electronic lock for the self-stroage industry. His team at lock America hopes to continue the project. Lock America remains committed to building Frank’s legacy, by listening to their customers and solving their security problems.