Locke & Ladder team member playing a white electric guitar against a white studio backdrop

Culture · The People Behind the Work

Roofer With range.

Start your project Meet the team

Founder and Ethos · Jon Strand

A roofer who went to art school.

Locke & Ladder was founded by Jon Strand, who first learned roofing and construction while paying his way through Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. That mix is the point: a trained eye for proportion, color, and shadow line applied to a trade that usually ignores all three.

That mix still shapes the company. Exterior work has to perform, but it also has to fit the home. A roof, window, siding profile, gutter line, or copper detail can either protect the architecture or fight against it.

Locke & Ladder was built in response to the contractor experiences homeowners are tired of: vague quotes, pressure sales, missing scope, and poor communication. We listen first, explain the work clearly, pair the product to the house, and stay on the problem when the work gets hard.

Craft and design are not extras on a roof. They are the difference between a house that ages well and a house that just gets covered.Jon Strand · Founder
Jon Strand, founder of Locke & Ladder, at the Carmel, Indiana office
Jon Strand · Founder
  1. Jon Strand as a young art student reading beside a mural, featured by Herron School of Art and Design
    2005

    Jon Strand gets exposure to the window industry while still in art school.

  2. The early window-franchise crew around a dinner table
    2012

    Local Locke & Ladder partner Charles Terhune opens a window franchise. Installs 3,000 homes in the Chicagoland area.

  3. Business Wire press clipping announcing the acquisition of the window company
    2020

    Former window company grows to $102 million national brand. Is acquired by PE money.

  4. Ladders set against a house on an early Locke & Ladder job site
    2021

    As culture of former company crumbles, members decide to form a new company despite continued success.

  5. Jon Strand holding the first Locke & Ladder yard sign
    2022

    Locke and Ladder inception is official.

  6. The Locke & Ladder team outside the Carmel, Indiana office
    2023

    Locke & Ladder opens offices in Carmel IN.

  7. Jon Strand today, founder of Locke & Ladder, talking through a project at the Carmel office
    2025

    “When I’m back in Chicago I feel it…”

Community Give Back

The causes we believe in.

Taking care of our neighbors goes beyond the work. We're proud to support the Indiana Independent Venue Alliance, North Central men's and women's soccer, Carmel Swim Club, and Acres of Hope — the people and places that make the greater Indianapolis area home.

See the causes we believe in

L&L Story

L&L Story

IT'S ABOUT MORE THAN JUST CONSTRUCTION

We love construction. More important, we love building things—teams, culture, and an envelope around a home that performs, ventilates properly, and lasts a lifetime.

HOW ART AND ROOFING CAME TOGETHER

Locke and Ladder can trace its origins back to 2003 when founder Jon Strand was paying his own way through art school by installing roofs. He had no idea art and exteriors would someday go hand in hand.

EVER HAD A BAD CONTRACTOR EXPERIENCE?

The challenge of building something better was an idea we couldn’t let go of. It was first spoken out of frustration with common industry practices.

WHAT IF WE DID IT BETTER THIS TIME?

We joined forces with some industry veterans that shared our values. “What if we did it even better than last time?” became our rallying cry.

WHY THERE’S AN OPEN DOOR IN OUR LOGO

We are here because we believe it is the path we are supposed to be on. We are so pleased by the doors that continue to open for Locke and Ladder.

Ethos

  1. EXPECT EXCELLENCE
  2. THINK BIG, THINK WELL
  3. TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER
  4. ALWAYS PERSIST
  5. BECOME A GREAT HUMAN
  6. BE PASSIONATELY CURIOUS
  7. HAVE FUN

Ethos in practice · 0:42

Think big.
Think well.

Big vision, then a real strategy—not a guess. Executing with discipline until the result is real.

Think Big and Think Well · Locke & Ladder
Transcript · lightly edited for readability

What is strategy? The French used it in the 1800s, literally defined as the art of a general. You're the general of your own life. You're going to want to be strategic, but your mind is the starting point of all war and all strategy.

The problem is not knowledge. The problem is that we are unattuned to the present moment. We need to create some time to just be quiet for five minutes. It's important, and you can start to apply this to all the other areas.

Be a general and bring some art to it. Think big and think well.

Brand Manifesto

Desire for impact.

It drives everything we do.

Read the brand manifesto
Locke & Ladder: Our Why Dictates Our Product Offerings
Our Why Dictates Our Product Offerings · 0:31 · Locke & Ladder on YouTube
Transcript · lightly edited for readability

Impact is your why. If that's the reason you're doing what you're doing, a lot of choices just fall into line. Our products are almost chosen for us, because we're going to put products in that have a long-term, lasting impact on our communities. We're going to put products in that have a long-term, lasting impact on the environment. Why? Because if we're going to have impact, if we're going to achieve real results, then we have to expect excellence.

The Team

The faces behind Locke & Ladder.

The Locke & Ladder roofing crew gathered on and around a branded company truck, smiling
The Locke & Ladder crew · Carmel, Indiana
Jon Strand

Jon Strand

Jonathan Jeffries

Jonathan Jeffries

Charles Terhune

Charles Terhune

Jay Manzione

Jay Manzione

Dan Hruskoci

Dan Hruskoci

Joe DeBias

Joe DeBias

Caleb Sparks

Caleb Sparks

Cameron Reynolds

Cameron Reynolds

Dustin Franklin

Chris Koelbl

Billy Boese

Kyle Reece

Matt Voss

Tylor Strawmyer

Ron Fletcher

Jonathan Rodriguez

Paul Belmont

Custom copper snow guards on a Meridian Hills, Indianapolis Brava slate roof by Locke & Ladder
Copper snow stopsMeridian Hills · Brava slate
Aerial view of a stone-front home with a new architectural asphalt shingle roof and full gutter system
Full envelopeAerial profile
Copper flashing and water-routing detail on a Meridian Hills, Indianapolis Brava roof
Copper flashingMeridian Hills · water routing
Black standing-seam metal roof with new windows and board-and-batten siding on a Spencer, IN home by Locke & Ladder
Standing-seam metalSpencer, IN · windows · siding
Brava synthetic slate roof with custom copper on a Meridian Hills, Indianapolis home by Locke & Ladder
Brava synthetic slateMeridian Hills · custom copper
James Hardie fiber-cement siding replacement on an Albany, IN home by Locke & Ladder
James Hardie sidingAlbany, IN
Overhead view of a Brava synthetic slate roof with copper hip flashing, a copper-clad cap, and copper snow guards in Meridian Hills, Indianapolis
Copper roof detailMeridian Hills · Brava slate
Dark-framed Pella windows, an arched specialty window, and a patio door on an Indianapolis-area waterfront home by Locke & Ladder
Arched Pella windowsIndianapolis-area waterfront
Completed commercial exterior project for a Faith building by Locke & Ladder
Commercial exteriorFaith building · completed project
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Carmel, IN · (317) 662-2169 Burr Ridge, IL · (708) 859-6942