A string of strategic changes at Lancaster County-based Key-Link Fencing & Railing include progressive moves in both leadership and product innovation, shifting the company into a new period of success.
The company announced Nov. 15 it has made a handful of leadership changes in accordance with its long-established succession plan that will help streamline operations and allow for an efficient manufacturing process to move its product to the market faster and more productively. Ezekiel Harnish has taken over the role of COO after serving as vice president of information systems since 2019. Raj Pathak is now the director of engineering and Dave Lechlitner has been named director of information systems.
In addition to the new leadership, the company has taken extensive measures to invest in its future success by both applying for multiple United States patents on proprietary innovations Key-Link Fencing & Railing engineers have developed and by obtaining powder coating certification for its in-house powder coating lines. The state-of-the-art fencing and railing innovations have been highly praised by customers, suppliers, and installers throughout the country and include several features, components, and methods that are now patent pending.
The patent applications and the patent protection that is expected to result from these patent applications will leave Key-Link as the exclusive source of these proprietary railing products. These patent pending innovations provide never before seen benefits to both the installer and the customer.
“Our innovative engineering team has been making breakthrough, industry-leading designs for decades and our approach to cable railing systems has become the gold standard for installers,” Key-Link CEO Javan Lapp said. “We are now seeking to protect the ingenuity and investment of our team members in setting the high standards of distinctive quality that Key-Link products provide to customers.”
To further emphasize and validate the company’s quality, Key-Link sought to obtain powdercoating certification from the Powder Coating Institute. To receive certification, Key-Link’s powder coating process underwent a significant multi-faceted audit that resulted in an award of PCl-4000 status, the highest level of certification that the Institute offers.
“While our team members have always taken great pride in the quality of our in-house powder coating, the PCl-4000 certification is third-party validation of our product and processes,” said Lapp. “We are proud of our team and the work they’ve put in to accomplish this.”
The company also announced the hiring of a new territory manager, Brent Mason, based in Kansas City, Missouri. His territory will include Missouri, Iowa, and parts of Illinois, with expansion into other states as needed. Mason comes to Key-Link with 8 years of sales experience and more than four years of experience as a distributor representative selling deck products and accessories.
“We were impressed with Brent’s experience, attitude, and approach to his work,” said Tim Smoyer, Key-Link’s Vice President of Sales. “As he gets to know our customers in the channel, he’ll be a valuable asset to them in growing their businesses.”
Mason says he chose to join the Key-Link team for a few important reasons. “I really value KeyLink’s people-centered approach and the way the company focuses on education and development,” he said. “I also know from past experience that Key-Link has quality products that contractors appreciate.”
Since starting on Sept. 4, Mason has been enjoying meeting people and plans more connections in the coming months. “I look forward to meeting more customers and collaborating with them,” he said.
