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Lock-N-Stitch named Small Business of the Year
Lock n Stitch
Lock-N-Stitch owners Louise and Gary Reed accept the Company of the Year award at the 2015 Best of Turlock ceremony in January. On Wednesday, Assembly Republican Leader Kristin Olsen named Lock-N-Stitch the 2015 Small Business of the Year for the 12th Assembly District. - photo by Journal file photo

Over the past few years, the Turlock-based company Lock-N-Stitch has been thrust into the limelight.

In 2013, the company was given the prestigious task of restoring one of America’s greatest landmarks — the dome of the U.S Capitol building in Washington, D.C. In January, Lock-N-Stitch was recognized by the Turlock Chamber of Commerce as the Company of the Year at the Best of Turlock awards.

On Wednesday, Assembly Republican Leader Kristin Olsen brought state-wide recognition to the company by naming it the 2015 Small Business of the Year for the 12th Assembly District.

“Gary and Louise Reed have taken the technology they developed 25 years ago and built it into a thriving small business in Turlock,” said Olsen.  “Lock-N-Stitch embodies the type of innovative small businesses that are fueling California’s economy, and are vital for our economic future.  I salute Gary and Louise for creating dozens of good-paying jobs, and for playing an important role in growing our local economy.”

Lock-N-Stitch was founded in 1990 by Gary Reed, who developed and patented metal stitching technology.  Metal stitching is a method to repair cracks and other types of damage that occurs in industrial machinery primarily made of cast iron and other cast metals.  They employ 42 people at their Turlock location. 

The company produces between 35,000 and 45,000 specialized patented parts each month.  The trained technicians in their repair department perform in-house and on-site repairs all over the world.  They have customers in the power generation, oil and gas, maritime, manufacturing, transportation, mining, antique restoration, and architectural structures industries.

 “Lock-N-Stitch is honored to be recognized by Assembly Member Olsen as her Small Business of the Year,” said Gary and Louise Reed.  “For 25 years, our technology has been used to repair many industrial machines, and is now being used to restore the iconic cast-iron dome at the United States Capitol.  We share this honor with our hard-working employees, and the Turlock community that we are proud to be part of.”

Olsen said that California’s small businesses are the lifeblood of the state’s economy. There are approximately 3.5 million small businesses in California, which account for 99 percent of the state’s employers and employ 52 percent of the workforce.