Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Meet the Chicago Team Behind Novak Lock & Security Chicago
Our Chicago crew is a small group of technicians and coordinators who’ve worked together long enough to know who takes the 5 AM emergency calls and who handles the finicky Medeco key systems downtown. What unites us is simple: every one of us follows the same documented procedure on every job, and every one of us has had a customer call back two years later because they remembered our name. That doesn’t happen by accident in this city.
Our People
Daniel Novak, Owner
I started Novak Lock & Security in 2002 after watching too many customers get a surprise bill on their doorstep. Before that, I worked as a lead installer for a regional security contractor, mostly in commercial access control for warehouse districts along the Stevenson Expressway. I hold factory authorization from Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Abloy, which means I can order restricted keyways and warranty high-security cylinders directly through the manufacturer rather than through a distributor. I still take field calls when we’re short-handed or when a job involves a safe or a complex master key system that someone’s already tried and failed on. My left shoulder has a permanent click from a freezer door in a West Loop restaurant that slammed while I was rekeying the prep kitchen. I mention that because it’s the kind of thing you learn to work around, and our younger techs need to know that the job has a physical memory.
Marcus T., Lead Technician
Marcus has been with us since 2014, which in Chicago locksmithing terms means he’s seen the transition from primarily mechanical systems to the current mix of electronic strikes, cloud-based access control, and the occasional customer who still wants a solid brass deadbolt. He’s our go-to for commercial master key systems in multi-tenant buildings, particularly in Lakeview and the South Loop where older hardware meets new property management requirements. Marcus is factory-certified on Schlage Primus and Baldwin Estate lines, and he’s the technician other companies call when they’ve drilled out a lock they shouldn’t have. Outside of work, he restores vintage motorcycles in a garage in Bridgeport, which is where he developed the patience to sort through a box of mixed key blanks without throwing anything.
Elena R., Senior Installer
Elena joined us in 2019 after eight years with a competitor that specialized in new construction locksmithing across the northern suburbs. She brought with her a depth of knowledge on door prep and hardware alignment that most residential technicians never develop, because new construction forces you to solve problems before the drywall goes up. She’s our lead on commercial access control installations, particularly HID and Axis systems, and she’s the one who trains new hires on how to read a door schedule without guessing. Elena lives in Ravenswood and walks to most of her North Side appointments when the weather allows, which means she often arrives knowing the building’s history from the sidewalk cracks and the mail slot condition. She keeps a running list of Chicago buildings with original Corbin Russwin hardware from the 1920s, which she updates whenever she encounters one that hasn’t been stripped out.
James K., Service Coordinator
James answers the phones. That sounds simple until you realize he’s the one who determines whether a locked-out customer in Ukrainian Village needs a technician in twenty minutes or can wait until morning, and he’s doing it while another line rings with a property manager in Bronzeville who needs a written quote for forty-seven unit rekeys by Friday. He’s been with us since 2017 and has never once put a caller into voicemail during business hours. James maintains our dispatch board, our parts inventory alerts, and the photo record archive that every customer receives after a job. He grew up in Portage Park and still lives there with his family, which means he knows the difference between a standard Chicago two-flat lock situation and the specialized hardware common in the bungalow belt. He also knows which of our technicians is closest to any given neighborhood at any given hour, which is harder than it sounds during Cubs game traffic.
Darnell W., Apprentice Technician
Darnell started with us in 2023 after completing a vocational program at Malcolm X College. He’s currently working through his apprenticeship hours under Marcus and Elena, rotating between residential service calls and supervised commercial installations. He’s already developed a specialty in automotive lockout work, particularly the newer Ford and GM key systems that require specific programming sequences. Darnell grew up in Englewood and is the first to admit he’s still learning which buildings in Chicago have original skeleton-key mortise locks that require a different approach than standard cylinder replacement. He asks more questions than any apprentice we’ve had, which is exactly what we want. His current project is building a reference collection of common Chicago building hardware from the 1950s through the 1980s, scavenged from demolition sites and estate sales, so future technicians won’t have to guess at obsolete parts.
One Standard, Every Job
The Haven Standard governs how we work, whether it’s Daniel on a high-security installation or Darnell on his first solo rekey. Haven Standard Clause 1 is the rule this company was built on: the price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice, and the technician is not permitted to change it. Clause 4 requires a documented photo record on every visit, which the customer receives before we leave. Clause 7 is the 365-Day Done Right Promise, which means if something we installed or serviced fails because of our work, we return and fix it without a second invoice.
These aren’t slogans. They’re procedures that every person on this page follows, because a standard only exists if it’s applied when no one is watching. In Chicago, where weather, age, and traffic already complicate every service call, the last thing a customer needs is inconsistency from the person they called for help. We’ve been here since 2002. The same rules applied then, and the same people apply them now.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security Chicago, serving Chicago since 2002.