Shutter business shines amid recession-induced climb in crime

But his business isn’t suffering, even with the economy collapsing. Hoover says it’s been one of the better years for his company, Nevada Rolling Shutter. Hoover sells and installs German-made shutters that deter criminals from breaking into houses through doors and windows.

He said he’s selling to customers from all neighborhoods — high-income, low-income and middle-income — that share a common fear of burglaries and home invasions. He believes crime has gone up and the economy has gone down.

Hoover grew up in Milton, Ill., where his father farmed hogs, cattle, corn and beans. After finishing high school, Hoover got a job delivering chicken to restaurants, stores and supermarkets. He said he liked the job because it let him meet a lot of interesting people.

After that, he said he got tired of the cold and moved to Phoenix, where he got a job working with shutters. He worked for several companies there for 18 years. In 1996, he divorced and moved to Las Vegas.

Question: When the economy went bust, you said you got more calls about rolling shutters.

Answer: People have had properties vandalized or burglarized. More and more, somebody they know (has been burglarized and they call about shutters).

Question: So business is up?

Answer: Yeah, it’s been a real good summer.

Question: Are people stealing more because of the hard times?

Answer: That’s what I think. The economy is going down the tubes, and people are desperate for money.

Question: What do thieves take?

Answer: Jewelry, guns. Some people lost vehicles because they had the keys in the house. At one woman’s house, the cops were chasing this guy and he tried to get into her back door. Luckily for her, her door was locked. They caught the guy right in front of her house. She called us the next day.

We have had the police recommend (shutters) to customers after they have been robbed.

Once you’ve been robbed, a lot of times thieves often will wait a week or a couple of weeks, a month or whatever (and burglarize the home again). They know that you got your insurance money (and used it to buy replacement items). They’ll get new stuff this time.

Question: Do you find most of your customers in low-income or wealthy neighborhoods?

Answer: We’ve got them down on D Street (in central Las Vegas). They are all the way out on Anthem and Summerlin. Even gated communities like the Las Vegas Country Club or out here at Spanish Trail.

Question: Have the shutters prevented burglaries for any customers?

Answer: Oh, yeah. There are definitely a lot of people who have had attempted break-ins and the shutters, which are aluminum with polyethylene insulation, stopped those break-ins. When I lived in Phoenix, I came home one afternoon and there were four men outside my house and there were cops everywhere. The men were planning to burglarize the house but they apparently gave up and were preparing to go somewhere else.

Question: Do you find some customers are also worried about violent home invaders rather than just burglars?

Answer: Everybody. It’s a wide range.

Did I tell you about the young (men) who got tied up in their home this summer? They came home late and night pulled into their garage and there were these three thugs who tied the guys up, put them in the garage, pistol-whipped one of them, ransacked their house. That’s why they bought (the shutters), because that happened.

Question: Have you had any customers who wanted the shutters because they lived near golf courses where burglars could be lurking?

Answer: No, but they’ve bought the shutters to keep the golf balls from breaking the glass.

Question: Are there other advantages to rolling shutters, such as keeping homes cooler?

Answer: The shutters reduce noise from busy streets. People working nights or swing shifts like them for sleeping during the day. (The shutters) block all the light and a lot of the sound. They create a barrier between the glass and the sun. That glass is like a radiator in the summertime. When Nevada Power Co. raised your rates (a large percentage) about four years ago, remember that? The phone rang off the hook for months after that.

Question: Do shutters affect home values?

Answer: Appraisers will add to the value to the home.

Question: Do they reduce home insurance rates?

Answer: Yes. For me, the insurance company took 10 percent off.

Question: Was it hard to start the business?

Answer: Yes. Basically, you’ve got to do advertising. Yellow Pages was a big one. I went with the Review-Journal several times. And word-of-mouth really helps a lot.

Question: Do you see any reason your business shouldn’t continue to thrive?

Answer: No, especially now with all this green talk. This is definitely a green product (that reduces carbon dioxide pollution because less electricity is used for air conditioning). It saves energy. You insulate your home better. So it’s definitely part of the future. It’s not a fast-growing business, but it is growing.

Contact reporter John G. Edwards at jedwards@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0420.