Our Team

Peter Bailey
President

One of Pete's favorite phrases is "changes over time." Over the past 10 years, Pete has been highly engaged in the security industry. Before that, he spent 20 years working with UPS, beginning his career in operations but spending the majority of his time as an Executive Account Manager. Following his years at UPS, Pete specialized in public accounting. These "changes over time" give MBA USA a true understanding of how best to serve our customers.

Dan Cross
Senior Sales Associate

A native of the great state of Kentucky and a veteran of the U.S. Army, Dan began his career with a locks and securities company in 1974 and has since been an active member of the industry. With experience not only in sales and customer service, but also product development and maintenance, Dan has been an integral part of the MBA team for over 20 years. At home, he enjoys playing the piano and guitar, and spending time with his family and grandchildren.

Andy Dennison, CMST, CML
Director of GSA Security Training

Andy Dennison has been a locksmith since 1990 and an instructor since 1999. His experience covers a wide variety of locksmithing services with the majority of his time spent in the area of safes, vaults, and GSA containers. Before becoming a locksmith, he served four years in the U.S. Navy and another four years in the U.S. Naval Reserve. After working for 15 years at a major locksmith company in the Washington, DC area, he moved to Kentucky in 2006 to work for MBA as a full-time instructor.

Mr. Dennison has been a certified instructor for Mas-Hamilton/Kaba-Mas since 1999. He is also a factory authorized instructor for Sargent & Greenleaf. He is a Certified Master Locksmith through the ALOA Security Professionals Association, Inc., a Certified Master SafeTech through the Safe and Vault Technicians Association (SAVTA), and is certified by the US General Services Administration (GSA) to conduct GSA certification courses. In April 2019 he was inducted into the SAVTA Hall of Fame and was named SAVTA Instructor of the Year for 2020.

Mr. Dennison is recognized as an authority on both mechanical and electro-mechanical locking devices with over 30 years of experience installing, servicing, and troubleshooting numerous common and obscure mechanical and electro-mechanical locking systems. He is also a recognized authority on GSA approved security containers and vault doors and is the author of the bestselling reference book, "GSA Container Identification".

Jimmy Hall
Marketing Manager

Prior to joining MBA USA in 2015, Jimmy was a member of the marketing and advertising industry since 2010. Throughout his career, he has earned several national awards in design, branding and advertising. Jimmy manages the ongoing MBA marketing strategy, sharing our company, products and services to individuals across the industry. At home, he enjoys the outdoors, University of Kentucky sports and spending time with his friends, family and dogs.

Steve Robinson
Director of Sales

Steve Robinson brings 28 years of safe lock experience to MBA USA. Prior to starting with MBA, he was the Sales Manager for Tecnosicurezza Inc. USA, President of True Security Products (Japan) and President of Tecno Lock Asia, Ltd. (Japan). Steve also served as International Sales Manager for Kaba-Mas and Asian Sales Manager for LaGard Inc. Prior to beginning his career in the safe lock industry, Steve earned a Bachelor of Arts, English major, from the University of Kentucky.

Billy Salyer
Instructor

Before entering the lock industry, Billy dedicated 6 years to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, followed by a 20-year tenure as an officer with the Lexington, Kentucky Police Department. Upon retiring from the Police Department, Billy transitioned to the MBA USA team in 2022. He now serves as an assistant instructor for various courses, including GSA certifications, Professional Locksmithing, Safe Deposit Locks, Mechanical Safe Locks, Professional Safe Drilling, and Safe Lock Manipulation.

Phil Sutherland
Director of Business Development

Phil Sutherland holds decades of experience in the Safe & Vault industry and has worked in areas that include: Business Development, Project Management, Technical Sales, Technical Support, Training, and Distribution. Fully bi-lingual, English & Spanish, he is currently fulfilling these tasks at MBA USA, Inc. He is an ALOA ACE certified instructor. Prior to beginning his career in the industry, Phil earned a Bachelor of Arts, double major in Decision Science and Marketing, from the University of Kentucky.

Jeremy Terry
Instructor

After spending several years working in retail, Jeremy picked up a hobby of picking locks while working in a hardware store. After a chance meeting gave him the opportunity for a career change, he worked as a professional locksmith for 11 years in the Lexington area, where he specialized in residential, commercial, and automotive locksmithing as well as safe opening and repair. During his tenure he found a great deal of satisfaction in helping to train the other locksmiths in his shop on how to use new tools and techniques in the field. Outside of work, he enjoys reading and spending time with his family and friends.

Kevin Wasson
Purchasing Manager

Kevin has been part of the lock industry since 1993, and in that time has filled a variety of roles including customer service, product assembly, technical support, product development, and purchasing. He manages purchasing for MBA USA. Kevin is also a Certified Kaba Mas X-10 Instructor. Kevin is a native of Flemingsburg KY, and a graduate of Berea College in Berea KY, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Technology Management. Kevin enjoys spending time with his family, and cheering on the University of Kentucky Wildcats!

Sam Wasson
Instructor

Sam’s fascination with the lock industry began at the age of 14, when he took a part-time job quality checking and packaging safe deposit locks. Since joining MBA USA in 2019, Sam has performed tasks within the company wherever he was needed. He has filled a number of vital roles, including shipping & receiving, product assembly, customer service, inside sales, technical support, product development, and purchasing. He currently serves as an instructor at MBA USA. Sam is a certified Kaba Mas X-10 instructor and also teaches all facets of GSA security training.

Jeremy Willoughby
Director of Customer Support

A native of Nicholasville, Kentucky, Jeremy Willoughby has spent many years in the lock and security industry, holding experience primarily in material control. Jeremy assists the MBA team not only as the primary controller of day-to-day warehouse and shipping operations, but also as an integral contributor in sales, product development and customer service.

Mark Bates, CML, CMST
Founder

Mark Bates worked in the lock industry for more than thirty years, starting as a locksmith and safe technician. In 1993 he founded MBA USA, Inc. which has grown to be a leading provider of security education and equipment.

Mr. Bates is a longtime member of the Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA), the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), and the Safe and Vault Technicians Association (SAVTA). In 2000 he was inducted into the SAVTA Hall of Fame. Mark is the author of the reference book "Modern Safe Locks", and has contributed articles to leading industry journals.

In addition to his duties as instructor at MBA, Mark has conducted classes for ALOA, SAVTA, and for numerous regional associations. These classes have taken Mr. Bates throughout the U.S. and Canada, to England, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Austria, Italy, and the Middle East. From these travels, Mark has developed a deep understanding of locks and security from a global vantage point. Mark is also an ACE Certified instructor through the ALOA Security Professionals Association, Inc.

Paula Bates
Founder

Paula has been with MBA since 1995. Her background is in design as she completed her studies in Landscape Architecture in 1984 while living in California. Her contribution to MBA has covered a diverse listing of departments, working in areas that include, but are not limited to the layout and planning of advertisements, newsletters and catalogs, bookkeeping and attending trade shows with co-workers.