WEST SPRINGFIELD — In its 17th anniversary year, Keiter is strengthening its commitment to growth by establishing a physical presence in Berkshire County. This marks the company’s second expansion in two years and reflects its long-standing relationships and completed work in Western Mass.
Keiter’s new Berkshire County location will be based in the Clock Tower Business Center at 75 Church St. in Pittsfield.
“For several years, we’ve had the opportunity to work with incredible clients and professionals throughout the Berkshires, and it felt like the right time to officially set roots,” founder and CEO Scott Keiter said. “We’re proud to continue to grow in a region where we’ve already begun to build strong partnerships.”
Past clients in the Berkshires include Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Bousquet Sport, Premium Waters, Berkshire Medical Center, the town of Lenox, Saint Patrick and Raphael Church, as well as several residential clients.
Founded in Florence and now headquartered in West Springfield, Keiter continues to prioritize strong community engagement in every region it serves. The company was once again named a Best Place to Work in the Daily Hampshire Gazette’s Readers’ Choice Awards — marking its second consecutive year receiving that honor — and was also recently recognized as one of New England’s Fastest Growing Companies by the Boston Globe.
Keiter is also well known for the Keiter Card campaign, which just completed its fifth year. The initiative has injected $250,000 into the Northampton economy by doubling the spending power of gift cards sold by the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce.
Scott Keiter has served on numerous regional boards and advisory committees and was named a 2024 BusinessWest Difference Maker.
WEST SPRINGFIELD — For the fifth consecutive year, Keiter is supporting the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce with a $25,000 donation to fund the annual Keiter Card promotion. The initiative has generated $250,000 in direct economic impact on the Northampton community since its inception in 2021.
The Keiter Card allows consumers to receive $50 in local spending power for $25, effectively doubling the impact on participating small businesses. The Northampton Chamber will contribute $5,000 to the campaign this year as well, increasing the benefit to the local economy to $60,000.
“This milestone is a testament to what’s possible when businesses and communities work together,” said Scott Keiter, CEO of Keiter and former Northampton Chamber board member. “The Keiter Card supports local spending, keeps dollars circulating close to home, and helps small businesses stay strong — and that benefits everyone.”
The 2025 Keiter Card promotion launches Monday, Aug. 4. Cards can be purchased exclusively at the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Supplies are limited, and customers must request the Keiter Card at the time of purchase.
The promotion applies only to $25 Northampton Gift Card purchases and is limited to one per customer, per transaction. The Northampton Gift Card is accepted at more than 131 local businesses, including restaurants, shops, services, and spas.
Keiter is a family-owned construction services firm known for managing complex projects. The company operates across a variety of sectors, including higher education, industrial, healthcare, commercial, multi-family, and residential developments.
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Keiter, a 17-year-old construction-management company based in West Springfield, was recently named to the Boston Globe’s inaugural list of New England’s 50 fastest-growing companies 2025.
The honor was presented in collaboration with Statista, a global statistics portal and industry-ranking provider. Awardees were chosen based on each organization’s revenue and organic growth and independence.
Globe leaders said the companies recognized represent potential investment opportunities and indicate sectors that are thriving despite adversity. Additionally, their success stories can serve as blueprints for other businesses looking to innovate and grow in uncertain times.
Thousands of companies were considered, and a minimum growth rate of 8.49% was required for inclusion.
Keiter is a family-owned construction-services firm known for managing complex projects. The company operates across a variety of sectors, including higher education, industrial, healthcare, commercial, multi-family, and residential developments. Recently, Keiter expanded into a new, 6,000-square-foot office space in West Springfield.
“We are proud and honored to be included in the Globe’s list of businesses who are experiencing rapid growth. This recognition reinforces our commitment to growth and resilience,” founder and CEO Scott Keiter said. “We value our relationships with our partners and attribute much of our success to them.”
The firm is well-known in the Pioneer Valley as a major community partner, and Keiter is involved in the communities his company serves. In 2024, he was named a Difference Maker by BusinessWest.
FLORENCE — To reaffirm its commitment to community, Keiter recently announced a $25,000 donation to the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for its annual Keiter Card promotion. This initiative, now in its fourth consecutive year, seeks to inject more than $50,000 into the local economy.
Through this promotion, Keiter’s contribution enables consumers to receive $50 in spending power with the purchase of a $25 Northampton Gift Card.
As the longtime Florence contracting and construction-management company expands to West Springfield, Keiter remains committed to the Northampton area.
“Our ties to the Pioneer Valley run deep, and we are honored to play a role in its ongoing success,” said Scott Keiter, CEO of Keiter and a former Northampton Chamber board member. “Giving back is ingrained in our company culture, and initiatives like this allow us to express our gratitude to a community that has given so much to us, our families, and our employees.”
The 2024 Keiter Card promotion will begin Monday, Aug. 5, and Keiter Cards will be available while supplies last. Cards can be purchased only at the chamber office at 99 Pleasant St., Northampton, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those interested must request a Keiter Card upon purchase.
The promotion is applicable only to $25 Northampton Gift Card purchases with a limit of one card per customer, per transaction. The Northampton Gift Card is accepted at more than 115 local businesses, spanning restaurants, shops, services, and spas.
FLORENCE — Keiter, a construction-services firm located in Florence since 2008, recently announced it will relocate its executive headquarters to a 6,000-square-foot facility at 1 Interstate Dr., West Springfield later this year.
Keiter is comprised of Keiter Builders, the commercial/institutional division; Keiter Homes, the residential arm; and Keiter Properties, the real-estate venture. Its pre-construction, sales and marketing, finance and administration, and operations departments will be located in the new space.
The move is prompted by growth and will allow Keiter much-needed space to collaborate with customers and partners on projects.
“We have purposely grown our company over the past few years to better serve the needs of our customers and the broader community,” CEO Scott Keiter said. “Keiter needs to continue growing in other ways so we can continue to meet the needs of our customers, employees, partners, and communities.”
The new location will also help Keiter better serve clients in Hampden and Berkshire counties while continuing to serve clients in Hampshire and Franklin counties.
“The move will be phased in,” said Keiter, who is one of BusinessWest’s 2024 Difference Makers. “Keiter will continue to service all of its clients and customers in a business-as-usual way. We will not skip a beat. We are excited to make this move and look forward to growth and expanding our reach.”
He’s Building on a Tradition of Giving Back to the Community
Scott Keiter has made the construction company that bears his name one of the fastest-growing ventures in this sector regionally.
And to position his company to achieve that kind of growth, Keiter (pronounced ‘Kiter’) knew early on that he would have to focus most of his time and energy on business, making connections, developing talent, putting the right team in place, and fashioning a blueprint (yes, that’s an industry term) for success.
“As we built the business, the most precious resource was time,” he said. “Anyone who creates a business knows what it takes — it’s every waking hour, so there’s not much time left behind. And then you introduce a child or two, and there’s even less time.”
But he also knew that, once he had the foundation of his business down and was building on top of it, he would eventually shift some of that time and energy toward the community and start to get involved on a number of levels.
And he has followed that blueprint as well, devoting time and talent to everything from an advisory role at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School’s carpentry program to becoming a trustee at Look Park, to involvement with the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) on many levels, including something called the ‘Keiter Card.’
“He said, ‘I’d like to do something, because we have, fortunately, gained business throughout this horrible period. So I’d like to do something to support the community.’”
This is an initiative to match the value of gift cards sold by the chamber and accepted in more than 100 businesses — one that has put thousands of dollars back into the Greater Northampton economy in late summer, during back-to-school sales and tax-free-weekend time.
In the beginning, it was called the ‘Double Your Money Northampton Gift Card Promotion,’ but eventually it took the name of the company and the philanthropist behind it, making this both an economic driver and an effective branding initiative.
The program, started in 2021 and expanded each year, allows consumers to purchase a $25 Northampton gift card and receive $50 in actual spending power, said Vince Jackson, executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber, adding that it has provided a real boost for that region’s many small businesses and become somewhat of phenomenon in Paradise City.
The Keiter Card has been described as a ‘win-win-win,’ benefiting the Keiter company, the local economy, and small businesses that accept the cards.
Indeed, as he talked about the card, Jackson referenced everything from how quickly they sold out each of their first three years, to how mothers would bring in their children collectively (it’s one Keiter Card per customer) so they could spend part of their allowance on a card, and then talk about where they would go and what they would spend it on.
But while heaping praise on the card and its impact, Jackson saved some for the company and the person behind it, especially as he recalled the circumstances of how it came about.
Flashing back to late summer 2021, when the economy was really starting to open up again after the pandemic, Jackson recalled a conversation he had with Keiter.
“He said, ‘I’d like to do something, because we have, fortunately, gained business throughout this horrible period. So I’d like to do something to support the community,’” Jackson recalled. “So he came up with the idea of donating $10,000 to the chamber, and for everyone who bought a $25 gift card, he would match that amount, up to $10,000.”
For year two, Keiter doubled the amount to $20,000, and in year three, he increased it to $25,000, with the chamber donating another $5,000 to make it a $30,000 matching program. For year four … Keiter leaked to BusinessWest that he will again be donating $25,000 to build on the momentum that’s been generated.
Meanwhile, Keiter, working in tandem with his wife, Jill, continue to expand their involvement in the Greater Northampton area while at the same taking their business to the proverbial next level.
Success in both realms helps explain why Keiter will soon have his name on something else: a Difference Makers plaque.
What’s in a Name?
Returning to the subject of the Keiter Card, Jackson said it’s an example not only of Scott Keiter’s genrosity and commitment to the community and its small businesses, but also of how he’s developed into a successful business person, refining several talents, including, in this case, branding and marketing.
Indeed, to purchase a Keiter Card, one first has to say that name, said Jackson, adding that, when needed, those at the chamber will help the buyer along.
“Sometimes they need help with the pronounciation — some will say ‘Keeter,’” he explained, adding that, with each transaction and each card, the Keiter business gets some additional exposure.
Scott Keiter with, from left, Evan Latour, Zak Martinez, and Sean Houlihan, Smith Vocational Agricultural High School graduates now working for the company.
And it has already been making a name for itself in the region as a growing company, now with 85 employees, focused on both residential and commercial construction. With the former, the company tackles new construction, but mostly renovations. And with the latter, it has developed a deep portolio of clients, including many higher-education institutions, including Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, Elms College, and Western New England University. It also counts many businesses and municipalities on its client list.
The business recently spun off Hatfield Construction, which focuses on earth work and site work, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Keiter, and last month, it announced that it had appointed Jim Young, a business consultant and former president of Paragus Strategic IT, as president of Keiter, leaving its founder more time to focus on the proverbial big picture instead of day-to-day operations.
“We’re excited to open a new chapter for the company and focus on growth and development and building on the successes that we’ve already had,” said Keiter, who will assume the title of CEO. “Jim will help me leverage my time so I can remain focused on looking forward, being in the role of a visionary, and guiding the direction of this organization.”
The business plan calls for continued, sustainable growth and further expansion into Hampden and Berkshire counties, he went on, adding that the company has established itself in those markets and wants to build on that presence.
As noted earlier, for the first several years he was in business, Keiter had a singular focus, to get that venture on solid footing and put an aggressive growth plan in place.
As the company’s name, reputation, and portfolio of clients and projects grew, he began to shift some of his time to the community, although the main focus has still been his business.
Concrete Examples
Keiter has chosen to get involved in realms where he can lend expertise, and also where he can make a difference.
That includes Smith Vocational, where he has served as an advisor to the carpentry department while also bringing a number of its students into the company through its co-op program, with several of them eventually being hired by the firm.
“We try to get them out to do everything that we do,” he explained. “We try our best to get them out on our projects, where they can work side-by-side with our staff. In fact, we’ve hired a number of them; they’re some of our best employees.”
Keiter’s involvement also extends to Look Park, which he described as a “treasure,” one of the city’s best assets.
But it’s with the Keiter Card that he is making a greater name for himself in the community, literally and figuratively.
And he said it came about through twin desires — to help small businesses in the community and build his brand.
“I had an epiphany one day,” he recalled. “We were comtemplating how to allocate some marketing money, and I wanted to find a way to create a win-win, or what Vince [Jackson] calls a ‘win-win-win.’
“What this card does is give Keiter some good exposure, but it’s also supporting our community, and it’s also supporting the local economy and retailers,” he said, adding that the idea was to build on the chamber’s existing gift-card program, which was “keeping the money local.”
Douglas Gilbert, vice president of Commercial Lending at Florence Bank, another of those who nominated Keiter for the Difference Makers award, put the initiative in perspective, noting that “Scott’s generous support of the Northampton gift-card program has been vital to the program’s success and provides purchasers with a significant financial incentive to support participating area merchants.”
Jackson agreed, adding that the program’s impact has grown each year.
“In 2023, the GNCC experienced year-over year growth of 10% in Northampton gift-card sales, 13% growth in gift-card units, and 22% growth in redemptions — all driven primarily by the excitement and impact of the Keiter Card promotion,” he said, noting that the cards have sold out in a matter of days each year. “That growth in redemptions in significant and signals immediate spending, giving an exceptional boost to small businesses during a traditionally slow sales period.”
Summing up Kieter’s involvement in the community, as well as his success in business, Jackson started by saying the chamber no longer refers to those who join its ranks as members. Instead, it calls them ‘investors.’
And some businesses have earned the designation ‘prestige investors,’ he went on, adding that these are the ones creating jobs, getting involved — in the chamber and in the community — and making an impact.
Keiter — both the company and its owner — have certainly earned that designation, said Jackson, adding that his involvement in the region prompted the chamber’s leadership to present him with a Community Service Award in 2023.
“They’re doing all the right things, practicing good citizenship and promoting economic development along the way,” he noted. “They’re sharing the wealth and rewards that they’ve been blessed to have, and that’s admirable.”
Playing His Card
Jackson told BusinessWest that Keiter cycled off the chamber’s board of directors recently, and that it’s a tradition to give departing board menbers a gift, usually something of the ‘gag’ variety.
In this case, those at the chamber wrapped up a Keiter Card and presented it to him, imploring him to spend it wisely and spread the wealth around.
While that card was a gift to him, the Keiter Card program has been a gift to the community —both its residents and its businesses. It is a gift that has become, as Jackson said, a true win-win-win.
FLORENCE — After more than 10 years in business in Western Mass., Keiter Corp. has rebranded, unifying its four divisions under the Keiter umbrella and updating the company’s voice, look, and feel to reflect recent growth and transformation.
Keiter Builders, the commercial and industrial division of the company; Keiter Homes, offering residential construction; Hatfield Construction, providing site work; and Keiter Properties, the real-estate arm; are now all under the Keiter name at keiter.com, a new site developed by BRIGADE, a branding and design agency in Hadley, as part of a long-term collaboration.
Founded in 2010, Keiter is a family-owned construction-services company working with clients on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects of all sizes. Scott Keiter, founder and owner, said the brand update was a long time coming.
“Early on, I made a commitment to a long-term strategy, and my main goal is still the same today — to provide uncompromising attention to all of my customers, regardless of project size or exposure,” Keiter said. “Due to expansion across multiple markets, exponential growth, and diversification, it’s time to reflect our transformation in the way we present ourselves to the world. With the creation of the Keiter umbrella, we’re prepared to offer a higher level of service and satisfaction than ever before, setting us up for the next phase of growth.”
Jill Keiter, director of Finance and Administration, sees the brand update as a stake in the ground, announcing the arrival of a bigger, broader, more focused and streamlined Keiter.
“We’re looking ahead and understanding that the last decade is a prelude to the future. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have grown and flourished, and we expect the trend to continue,” she said. “The new Keiter umbrella, and the new look and communication style coming with it, will help to inspire the future growth of our company.”
At the start of the rebrand in early 2021, BRIGADE created new messaging, aiming to capture the breadth of the growing company, grounded in the foundation and reputation Scott Keiter has built over time. The agency then developed a new look and feel for Keiter, including an update to the suite of Keiter logos and a new website created to cap the project.
“We used BRIGADE to ensure the rebrand was strong, strategic, and visually in line with our vision for the future,” Scott Keiter said.
