The Challenge
Kenosha Uptown Lofts is a vibrant new mixed-use development designed to breathe new life into the heart of Uptown Kenosha. With 71 modern, affordable apartments, 20,000 square feet of retail space, and a 7,000-square-foot children’s library branch, the project is more than housing — it’s a cornerstone for community revitalization.
But alongside the excitement of a new development came a pressing challenge: managing security and access efficiently across such a diverse property. Gorman & Company, the developer behind the project, knew they needed a solution that would not only address immediate operational hurdles but also scale across their growing nationwide portfolio.
Before the project, Gorman & Company juggled two separate systems: ICT access control for common areas and Schlage’s Engage for individual apartment doors. While residents could use one fob for both, behind the scenes, staff had to manage two databases, enter data twice, and deal with inconsistent access protocols.
Tom Piacentine, Director of Facilities for Gorman & Company, explains: “We were doing double the work. Even though we could use the same fob, we still had to maintain two separate databases. That meant duplicating efforts and managing access in two places.”
This fragmented approach wasn’t just inefficient — it was unsustainable for an organization planning nationwide expansion.
The Solution
Partnering with AA Security and ICT, Gorman & Company moved to a fully unified solution by integrating ICT’s motorized deadbolt wireless locks directly into the enterprise Protege platform. This brought all access points — common areas, unit doors, and even the Doorking intercom — onto one centralized system.
Despite unexpected challenges during installation, the collaboration between AA Security and ICT ensured success.
“Damon Standish from ICT flew in personally — twice — to work with me on-site. His direct connection to the engineering team to solve issues made all the difference.”
The result was a seamless, enterprise-grade system with real-time control, customizable access hierarchies (property > regional > national), and the ability to roll out the same model across all Gorman & Company properties.
Key Outcomes
- 60+ ICT motorized deadbolt wireless locks installed across the development
- Elimination of dual-system management — all access points unified under one platform
- Centralized oversight with top-down control across property, regional, and national levels
- Scalable model for nationwide expansion across Gorman & Company’s portfolio
- Streamlined audits — data pulled instantly from the central system, no door-to-door checks needed
What They Said
“The ICT access control system will do just about anything. It’s enterprise-ready and flexible enough for complex organizations. With the ability to stratify access by property, region, or nationwide, it gives us top-down control that’s essential for our customer.”
— Timothy Gray, President, AA Security
“Partnering with AA Security and integrating ICT’s technology gave us the unified platform we needed. It solved a major challenge and set a new standard for how we manage access, security, and convenience across all our properties.”
— Tom Piacentine, Director of Facilities, Gorman & Company