Empowered to Exceed Expectations
Payroll Team
I would like to give a shout out to our Payroll Team today! We have many team members here at Pulaski Solar Farm. At times, our teammates move from crew to crew, and we make mistakes on ensuring all our team members are compensated for the incredible effort they contribute day in and day out. We had a team mate today that unfortunately fell through the cracks and hours weren’t reported. We contacted the Payroll Team, and they jumped into action! Payroll was able to get these hours reported and we were able to compensate our team member as he deserves the day that he deserves it! I would like to thank our Payroll Team for all the efforts they endure from week to week and still patiently dealing with mistakes that are made at the field level!
Ryan Murphy, Mike Bishop, Aaron Anast, and Chuck Hutton
I want to take a moment to recognize the Building Group’s UPS Springfield, Missouri, team for exceeding the Owner’s expectations on our project. UPS has a very important milestone for turning over the IT server room on their projects so they can start to install their package handling conveyors and get their facilities open on time. The date for our project in Springfield was September 15th and our team of Ryan Murphy, Mike Bishop, Aaron Anast, and Chuck Hutton was laser focused on making this happen for UPS. Despite several setbacks with weather, safety stand downs stopping work, and a missed design detail for the steel mezzanine structure, our Building Group team made sure we resequenced the job to hit the turnover date. When the Owner was on site for the 15th turnover date, he shared that he was pleasantly surprised. Never before had a GC met the server room turnover date in his entire 35-year history with UPS. That’s quite a feat and one that will lead to us getting more work with UPS in the future. Great job, team!
ATX Projects Team
From Burns and McDonnell- I'm not sure if you remember me from when you came to the BMCD office to present to a couple PM's not too long ago but anyway, I'm a project manager for Ameren Transmission and wanted to reach out and give my praise for how amazing Nicolas Wittus and Eliza Apperson have been for our projects and Ameren as a whole. Both have sent out daily POD's which have helped with tracking progress in between weekly updates. They have been quick to get us quotes for the retention pond at Rice, the access road for structures 11/12 on Knox County Wind farm, and the anchor bolt cages for Rice. They have been essential in working with other contractors and aligning schedules. They saved the day when we found out engineering didn't order the anchor bolts for Rice while under an outage and helped us to figure out a "design" for an access/maintenance road for Sandburg. They also have been flexible with schedules when our outage got cancelled due to MISO calling for conservative operations on Knox County Wind Farm. Every time I see that Keeley has been awarded a job, I know that the job will either go smoothly, or at a minimum they will try their best to ensure it goes well for everyone involved. Feel free to share this with them.
Nick Headley, Julio Villagomez, Juan Sanchez and Bloom Site Team
On Tuesday Oracle’s safety manager attended our morning safety meeting on the Bloom site. He then went back to his office and wrote us an email praising what a good meeting and good job our site leaders are doing. He recognized Nick Headley, Julio Villagomez, Juan Sanchez and the rest of our site team, and went on to say “it was a great meeting, and valuable information was shared with the field craft”. He also made the statement “We truly appreciate the efforts of both Keeley and Bloom in maintaining a strong safety culture”. This is a testament to our site leaders for championing our safety culture and Keeley values. This is a very congested site that has been plagued with safety issues from other contractors, but we are managing to be a shining example of how to do things right. Having our client’s client recognize our value and culture is how we grow our relationship and continue to get repeat work. Great job team keep up the good work!
Terry Jones
Good Catch, we were getting ready to make our first pour on the Waste Management project , the crew was backing the truck in so that Terracon could take samples and do our slump test. Terry Jones our supervisor looked at the batch ticket and noticed the concrete plant had batched out 3000 psi concrete. The pour called for a 4000-psi mix that we had already been approved. We turned that truck around and sent him back to the plant and they batched us a new truck with 4000 psi mix. His attention to detail kept us from having to remove that concrete and start over.
Matt Burnette
I’d like to recognize Matt Burnette for displaying our Keeley value of Empowerment. In just a couple of weeks, Matt has jumped right in and made an immediate impact within IT. Recently, he stepped up to assist the IT UX team with an issue that had been plaguing them for almost a month. Matt took ownership of the problem, quickly diagnosed the root cause, and implemented a solution right away. This is a great example of Empowerment in action — seeing a challenge, taking initiative, and delivering results that make a real difference. Welcome aboard, Matt! Thank you for everything you’ve done so far — you have a bright future ahead at Keeley!
Matt Burnette
I want to take a moment to recognize Matt Burnette for an exceptional contribution to our Data & Analytics team. For months, the team has been challenged with automating the data replication process from CMiC to our Data Lake , a critical step that had forced us to rely on manual intervention and even external contractors. Yesterday in few hours, Matt applied his technical expertise and problem-solving mindset to identify the root cause and deliver a permanent fix. This breakthrough has fully eliminated manual dependencies, significantly improving the stability and reliability of our data and reporting platform. It’s a remarkable example of how deep technical skill combined with ownership can drive immediate, high-impact outcomes for Keeley. I also want to echo what Jeff said earlier — this is a great example of Empowerment in action: seeing a challenge, taking initiative, and delivering results that make a real difference. Fantastic work, Matt - this sets a strong foundation for the automation and scalability goals ahead.
Tom Rojas, Ryan Michael, Jason Beaty
I want to acknowledge the great team effort from three Keeley’ns who worked with me to resolve several issues I’ve been experiencing with my home printer, my laptop computer, and my new cell phone I received when the company switched from AT&T to Verizon service. Tom Rojas, and two Keeley’ns from the Help Desk, Ryan Michael & Jason Beaty, spent much of last Friday afternoon, September 19, working together to resolve the issues I’ve been encountering with my equipment. Tom Rojas spent a couple hours at my house working on the Brother printer in an attempt to get the laptop to communicate with the printer in order to print documents. Ryan and Jason spent an equal amount of time working on my newly issued cell phone and the laptop. I’m sure they had more pressing things to do on a Friday afternoon. I’m grateful to all three men for their positive attitude as they collaborated to resolve the issues. The printer may be too old to salvage, but the laptop and cell phone issues were resolved thanks to their spirited cooperation.
Stacey Kamps
E^3 for Stacey winning an outstanding achievement award at CREW and recognized by the NYT.
Talent Acquisition Team
Our Talent Acquisition Team nailed Intern Recruitment this year!!!! Quality candidates, quick interview setup with recommendations, and 100% acceptance. During interviews we heard that the buzz around campus(s) is Keeley has the best Intern Program. Keeley TA has raised the bar for Intern Programs, and we are reaping the benefits of their current and past performances. Thank you for driving the bus!
Maggie Burrus
I would love to recognize Maggie for her hard work in helping put together the Chili Cookoff for Warner’s Warmup. I approached Mary and Lauren about doing this as a fundraiser, and they suggested I ask Maggie for help putting it together. That has proven to be the best decision for this cause! She has helped in putting together the details of the chili cookoff greatly. In addition to designing the flyer for it as well. I could not have put this together without her and I greatly appreciate all she has done so far!
Callaghan Stamer
Great job on our i.4.0.4. call regarding innovative ideas to enhance the process . Callaghan invested in herself with Dale Carnegie and ran an outstanding meeting from the agenda, discussion and meeting start to finish. Also, fantastic job building out the i.4.0.4. platform with the IT Team.
Victor Lozano
Please see the recognition below for Keeley General Foreman Victor Lozano, whose actions exemplified our commitment to safety and Keeley PRIDE. I was informed by Keeley General Foreman Victor Lozano that there was an odor of natural gas in the 500 Unit near his fabrication area. Victor immediately shut down all hot work and awaited my response to the area with a four-gas meter to test for the source of the natural gas. While the odor was noticeable, the meter was not sensitive enough to register a reading and we could not find a source. CPM was promptly notified, and CPM HSE Manager Chris Zollman responded as well. After a thorough inspection of the area, including the 910 Building (Water Treatment/Utilities), the odor was determined to be a transient condition. GF Lozano will continue to monitor the area and alert HSE if the condition reoccurs. Victor’s quick thinking and decisive action prevented a potentially serious situation. By immediately stopping hot work and prioritizing the safety of his crew, he demonstrated outstanding leadership and a strong commitment to Keeley’s values of PRIDE—People, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Empowerment. His proactive response is a model example of how living these values protects our teams and reinforces Keeley’s strong safety culture across all projects.
Sarah Becker
I want to take the opportunity to send an E^3 to Sarah Becker for all she does to recognize and bring together members of the Paving Group. Sarah consistently makes effort to put balloons on each person's desk when it is their birthday. She organizes group presents for personal milestones such as weddings, having children, or any other occasion where she can make someone feel special! She also does a weekly “Maintenance Master” award where she recognizes a member of her team who excelled in each week. These efforts do not go unnoticed and make each member of the team feel recognized both professionally and personally. Sarah’s focus on PEOPLE is admirable and something we should all strive for.
Francisco Gonzales
I'd like to recognize our site superintendent Francisco Gonzales for coming up with a truly novel solution to a complex problem we had on our job at the Brushy Creek Regional WWTP in Round Rock, TX. Our scope included installation and execution of a 68MGD (million gallons per day) bypass pumping operation to effectively handle the entire plant's effluent operations above ground while we executed yard piping demolition and modifications necessary for the upgrades we had already made. This complex plan required us to keep the plant operational while transitioning into bypass operations where we had to plug two ends of an in-service line that didn't match the design drawings. This required plugging of rectangular box culverts at both ends as opposed to a round concrete pipe shown on the drawings. Further complicating this operation was the fact that it was submerged in 20 feet of wastewater effluent at the bottom of the junction boxes. Francisco came up with a design using a road plate and manhole bracings that could be hydraulically actuated from a safe distance to the operation, effectively solving two issues at once, how to plug the line, and how to do it safely! We spent weeks planning this operation and when the day came (Wednesday, Oct. 22nd) it worked flawlessly. Kudos to Francisco and the entire Brushy Creek Team for their out-of-the-box thinking on this solution and for executing it safely!
Edgar Bonilla
Keeley PRIDE Values! I like to point out DISCIPLINE (Driven by passion & grit, we exceed expectations and deliver results on purpose). This morning Edgar Bonilla (Brevard PM) was the first person to show up on site coming straight from the airport after his fly was delayed, we had scheduled pouring 90 yards of concrete, he showed passion and discipline not only showing up on time to ensure the success of the pouring but leading holding the pump hose working hand to hand with the team. Massive thanks to Edgar showing Discipline and leading by example.
Ninsi Navarro
I’m pleased to nominate Ninsi Navarro for an E3 Award in recognition of her outstanding leadership and commitment to safety on Project Flex in Morristown, IN, where Keeley is assisting with a food and agriculture project for Bunge North America. While performing her duties as a confined space attendant, Ninsi observed our sister subcontractor, Gaylor, preparing to enter her confined space. Following the principle of “see something, say something,” she proactively stopped the work when she noticed the crew appeared unsure of the next steps, ensuring all safety requirements were met. Using her bilingual communication skills, Ninsi effectively confirmed understanding with both management teams and ensured the necessary preparations were in place before safely proceeding. Her actions exemplify Keeley PRIDE—People, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Empowerment. Ninsi’s leadership prevented potential risk, fostered collaboration between teams, and reinforced Keeley’s culture of care and accountability. She is a true example of what the E3 Award represents.
