Page 42 - BusinessWest February 19, 2024

CEO, Keiter
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.”
He’s Building on a Tradition of Giving Back to the Community
Scott
Keiter S
company that bears his name one of the
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
cott Keiter has made the construction
“He said, ‘I’d like to do something, because we have, fortunately, gained business throughout this horrible period. So I’d like like to do something to support the community.’”
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.’
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.
Keiter
A22 2024
Continued on page A24 >> BusinessWest