A customer fell victim to a social engineering scam, and Gary Frazier broke up his day in an interesting way. S leepless nights and I have become close friends, and this was one such night due to the aches and pains resulting from my surgically repaired shoulder just weeks before. It was much too early for the neighboring rooster to begin his morning ritual. I sat in my chair reflecting on events of the previous four days, as the week was winding down. On the bright side, I had plenty of time to prepare for my first of many meetings of the day, beginning at 8 a.m. With meeting preparations completed, it was time for exercise (or torture, rather) to increase mobility and strength. Limited mobility plus weight restriction under five pounds (right-handed) gave me a new perspective for everyday tasks that I’ve taken for granted. Then, like most others in the service industry, I ate while updat- ing my day planner and checking my calendar, emails, and phone and text messages. The work day was in full swing, with purchasing asking for clarification about parts one of the technicians was attempting to order. I called the tech to ask a few questions: type of equipment, application and function that’s needed? I gathered the information, products, options and catalogs with page references and then high- lighted part numbers. I sent it all to both the technician and purchasing — another crisis averted. Next came troubleshooting a Mosler American Century vault door that wasn’t opening. As I walked through diagnostics with our tech on-site and ruled out possibilities, I concluded what his course of action and plan of attack should be. I then provided technique, pictures and tool suggestions to swing the door. At times, the barrage of phone calls was staggering between the countless requests for support and, of course, the daily auto warranty, IRS and Social Security scams. All the while, I thought, “Thank God it’s Friday (TGIF).” Next up, our vault technician called back with: “Door is open. Appreciate the help.” Switching Gears It was time to switch gears, and for the next hour, my calls were diverted to voicemail. I moved on to meeting two: a COVID-19 Delta variant presentation from infectious dis- ease specialist Dr. Mark Loveless. Dr. Loveless covered everything from virus structure, 48 SAFE & VAULT TECHNOLOGY | May/June 2022 transmission and safeguards to govern- ment recommendations and prevention, rounding it out with a question-and-answer session. As the meeting was winding down, my phone started to vibrate. Voicemail and text messages were rolling in, and one of the text messages I received from a friend and former colleague, Eric, caught my interest. His mechanical ability — not to men- tion vast knowledge of door hardware — has been an asset over the years. At an early age, he mastered small format interchangeable cores by working in the family business with his father and grandfather. His great grandfather Frank is the inventor of the BEST (SFIC) core, accumulating 58 patents for locks, keys and lock-related equipment throughout his life. With lineage like that, it’s easy to see why Eric is a relatively quick study. I once gave him a crash course on manipulation (15 to 20 minutes) before I had to deal with an emergency, leav- ing him alone in the shop with a locked Allied-Gary TL15. When I returned 30 minutes later and asked if it was open, he smiled and swung the door. Anyway, back to his text. He asked how my day was going, and we texted back and forth (see Figure 1). www.savta.org
