Interview with Alex Bertelli, Founder and CEO of HavenLock, Inc.

Industry - Interview

by Mehmet Kaplan

We've been working for years and keeping almost everything we get at home, and we want to keep safe the place where we live. As in history, the first rule of creating a safe space is to secure the door. Alex Bertelli became aware of that most of the locks on the market are not enough to stop the burglars, and many people create their own different preventions. And he came up with a new idea, the HAVEN Mech and the HAVEN Connect. Designed for the safety of both the entrance and interior doors of homes, HAVEN Mech and the HAVEN Connect are 10 times stronger than standard deadbolts. HavenLock products can be controlled both manually or remotely. Participating in the world-famous TV show "Shark Tank" this April, Alex Bertelli and Clay Banks have introduced HAVEN Mech and HAVEN Connect for residential use. In addition to their home security solutions, HavenLock has designed HAVEN Lockdown for commercial and school buildings. I talked with Alex Bertelli, Founder and CEO of HavenLock, Inc., about their innovative security solutions. Keep your door locked for your safety.

Alex, before talking about HAVEN Lock, I would like to learn more about you. Could you tell us about yourself?

Alex Bertelli, Founder and CEO of HavenLock, Inc.

I was deployed 9 times to Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army Special Operations helicopter pilot and had over 1600 rotary-wing hours in hostile combat environments. I directed high-visibility missions that required the synchronization of 1000 soldiers and $1 billion+ in assets. While overseas, I handled strategic efforts and managed key relationships as the lead representative for a 700 soldier unit. I planned, resourced, and executed maintenance and training operations at three overseas locations for 200 soldiers while simultaneously conducting operations stateside for a 16 aircraft battalion. While in the service, I was certified on 5 different helicopters, including heavy assault, utility, and cargo.

I received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Portfolio Management from the University of Dayton, an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, and a Graduate Certificate in Organizational Development Change Initiatives from Penn State.

Clay Banks and Alex Bertelli

What inspired you to specialize in home security solutions? How did you come up with the HAVEN Lock idea?

While overseas, I noticed that insurgents were fortifying their homes and compounds by welding steel bars across the bottom, middle, and top of their doors. When I returned home, HAVEN COO Clay Banks and I had a rash of break-ins in our neighborhoods, and it was then that we decided to solve the problem. The wedge concept for HAVEN was created from the floor based bar concept I witnessed overseas and was incorporated into the very first prototype the team made.

The HAVEN Mech, our first product launched in 2014, is the manual foot-pedal operated lock and the HAVEN Connect, is our Bluetooth lock which can be activated via smartphone or key fob. These devices are installed in front of the door at the base of the threshold and work on entry doors as well as interior doors such as in safe rooms or offices, providing a defense 10 times stronger than the average deadbolt.

Creating products which protect people in their homes, at school and wherever they worship is our passion here at HavenLock.

HAVEN Lock

When did you decide to establish HavenLock, Inc.? Could you tell us about HAVEN Lock, Inc. and your team?

HavenLock, Inc. was established in 2014 in Nashville, TN. Clay Banks and I are the founding partners. HAVEN is a veteran-owned company, and our products are proudly built and manufactured here in the United States.

We have assembled an incredible team of highly accomplished professionals with wide-ranging backgrounds in various industries, which brings new and different perspectives to the table. This variety of opinions, skills, and experiences on staff encourages innovation here at HavenLock.

As of today, HavenLock revenues are up 165% over last year (2018). In the past two years of producing and shipping products to customers, we have just crested past the $1M in total lifetime sales covering the past 22 months. We are projecting to finish 2019 sales at just above $1M for the year. HavenLock, Inc. currently has $4.5M in the sales pipeline for our new school lock product, Lockdown.

1% of HAVEN's profits go back to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation to provide scholarships and support for children and families of fallen soldiers.

Could you tell us about the features of HAVEN Lock?

HAVEN residential locks are anchored to the floor, which is the strongest part of the door. An experienced intruder can gain entry in about five kicks against an average deadbolt. HAVEN's unique wedge design gives it strength to last 10 times longer than a deadbolt against a home intrusion attempt at the door. The door will give way before HAVEN ever will.

HavenConnect + Fob

What are the advantages of using HAVEN Lock?

While cameras are great at snapping pictures of burglars, HAVEN actually stops them from entering your home. 34% of burglars enter through the front door. HAVEN is a preventive smart home security product. It's also easy to install and use. Both HAVEN Mech and HAVEN Connect can be activated and deactivated manually using the foot pedal. The Bluetooth enabled HAVEN Connect can be operated also by using a smartphone app or key fob.

How has HAVEN grown over the last year?

Haven has had a busy year which began with announcing a partnership deal to white label our products for Terminix, a leading provider of termite and pest control services and a ServiceMaster® company. As the ultimate Defenders of Home®, Terminix was pleased to share the new door security system that helps to provide holistic protection against intruders at the door threshold.

Shark Tank - HavenLock, Inc.

In April, Clay and I appeared on ABC's "Shark Tank." The episode was filmed last September in Los Angeles, CA. We stood in front of the Sharks answering their questions for almost two hours! While we didn't walk away with a deal, the increased awareness of HavenLock led to surging sales. It was an incredibly valuable experience for us that we will not soon forget.

We have also spent time redesigning our commercial product, HAVEN Lockdown™, which is used in schools, businesses, and places of worship to put an end to active threats. We believe students and teachers should never worry about their security at school. Lockdown gives teachers and administrators the option of individually locking down classrooms within seconds. This provides school staff the access control they need while providing peace of mind to administrators and first responders. Lockdown works on inward and outward swinging doors.

HAVEN Lockdown

What is next for HAVEN?

The HAVEN Hub will be rolling out this August which will allow users to connect to their home networks and control their HAVEN Connect units via Bluetooth. Using this bridging technology, the lock is securely accessible from virtually anywhere in the world on any device. The Hub is small and easily fits near home networking equipment. Users can be notified when others lock or unlock their HAVEN Connect, see the lock status from anywhere, and multiple locks can be controlled within approximately 30 feet of the HAVEN Hub. We are also in research and development of a sliding door lock which many of our customers have expressed interest in us creating.

How can our readers follow HAVEN Lock?

Readers may like, visit or follow HAVEN on;
Twitter @HAVENLock
Facebook @havenlock
Instagram @haven_lock
LinkedIn -linkedin.com/company/havenlock
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/TheHavenLock

HAVEN Lock

How can our readers buy HAVEN Lock?

HAVEN products can be purchased directly from our website at https://havenlock.com/, and we ship worldwide. I'd like to offer BONTENA readers a discount by using code BONTENA15 at checkout to receive 15% off their entire order.

Do you have dealers in different countries?

We have a HAVEN distributor in Australia, and we are constantly receiving inquiries from around the globe to partner with us in other territories. If your readers are interested in knowing more, they can fill out our partner form here at https://havenlock.com/pages/partners

Thank you Alex for your time.

For more information, please click here to visit the website of HAVEN Lock

This interview was conducted in a Question-and-Answer format. The answers were checked for grammar and punctuation and published without any additional editing. Wednesday, July 10, 2019. All photos are the property of their respective owners.