Cortney Wascher Elected to DHI Board of Governors

Jerry Heppes, CAE, CEO of the Door + Hardware Institute announced that Cortney Anderson Wascher has been elected to DHI's 12-member Board of Governors. She will serve a three-year term with industry leaders from across the country. Cortney is president / owner of Anderson Lock Company, a commercial door and locksmith services company, which employs 100 people at its Des Plaines and Elk Grove locations.

The DHI Board of Governors are volunteers, elected by the voting membership, to provide strategic direction to the Door Security + Safety Professionals association. Through education, advocacy, accreditation and facilitated networking, DHI supports its members with up-to-date resources to meet the security and safety needs of their customers.

Cortney, a member since 1996, has attended numerous DHI conventions, seminars and workshops, and she was a winner of the organization's 2017 Award of Merit. Since her appointment in 2009, Cortney has served on the State of Illinois Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor and Locksmith Board of the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. She also represents the door and hardware industry on national advisory boards to assure that life safety and security are maintained with equal significance, to advocate for locksmiths, and to contribute her voice to industry issues.

For her Board of Governor's nomination profile, Cortney predicted that the industry will continue to evolve from mechanical to electronic locking products, which require more testing, training and time to install. She notes that increased use of technology, for technicians, project managers, fabricators and office staff, is transforming traditional ways of doing business.

"Leed / green initiatives, school security, and code updates related to fire door inspections and behavioral health hardware are critically influencing our industry, resulting in shifts from traditional horizontal markets to narrower vertical markets," she added. "Tomorrow's DHI must advocate for its leaders to become authorities on certifications and codes, as well as for the innovative security products that provide specialized solutions."

After graduating from Vanderbilt University and working as a hardware manufacturer's representative in Pennsylvania, Cortney returned to Anderson Lock, the locksmith business her father founded in 1960. She was named president in 2006, became majority owner in 2009, and earned national certification as a Women's Business Enterprise in 2012.

Thirty service trucks are dispatched daily from Anderson Lock's main office in Des Plaines. The Elk Grove door division houses an immense door and hardware warehouse with a custom fabrication / welding shop, and a state-of-the-art office for Project Management and contractor sales. Cortney's husband, Devin Wascher, is company vice president and door division manager.