up and your day will totally change. I like the
chaos of it. I probably cause a lot more of it
now than I used to!”
An above average love of work
Some may think that working for the same
company over the course of one’s entire
career would get boring. For Keller, that
couldn’t be further from the truth.
“It’s fun to get up and come to work.
It’s fun to hang out after work before going
home. It’s fun to be successful,” said Keller. “I
enjoy the thrill of coming in and seeing what
I’m going to do that day, and what’s different.
What’s exciting is seeing all the young people
doing what they’re supposed to be doing.
The ones who ‘get it’ excel unbelievably and
it’s great to watch.”
Building a career with the same company
over three decades provides ample
opportunity to build a life along with it.
Keller has seamlessly sewn together his love
of work and life, and doesn’t quite understand
why some choose to keep their work
and personal lives separate. Working for a
Sales Cell: (586) 615-8753
57760 Main St., Suite 2 • New Haven, MI 48048
(800) 522-9550 • (586) 749-9559 • Fax (586) 749-
6653
www.shorelinesteel.com
TIM KUECKEN
company that puts family first makes doing
so a lot easier.
“Dick Goettle founder of Richard
Goettle, Inc. came up to me one day while
my wife, Mary, was pregnant with our first
daughter and asked if she was going to stay
home and raise the baby. I said I hoped so,
and he asked me how much she made at her
job. I told him, ‘About $30,000 a year.’ I had
no idea why he was asking me that. Later
that year, I received a $30,000 raise from
him. He said, ‘Now your wife can stay home
and raise your children.’ I was stunned. I had
no idea he was going to do that.”
Keller has fostered close relationships
with many of his co-workers and others in
the construction industry because of his
lengthy tenure, which adds to his enjoyment
and appreciation of the job.
“My mentor was the guy who hired
me, Larry Rayburn. The funny thing is, he’s
exactly like my father – those guys, back in
the day, who worked really hard and were
honest in what they did and treated people
the way they wanted to be treated.”
Keller’s commitment to the PDCA
Board of Directors has also provided him
with strong, lasting relationships that he’s
grateful for. He has no idea exactly how long
he’s served as a director, but is thankful he was
the one Rayburn asked to serve on the board.
“I have a lifelong relationship with these
people. The same people who started in this
business when I did.... Mike Wysockey of
Thatcher Engineering, Mike Moran from
Cajun Deep Foundations, Scott Callaway,
the senior vice president at Cajun who is
currently PDCA president. We struck up
a friendship and have known each other for
30 years. It’s these types of relationships that
help carry you through your life and career.”
Not your average future
Keller recognizes that he’s no longer one of
the young people around the office.
“I went from being one of the youngest
guys to one of the oldest. It happened in the
blink of an eye!” He has only just begun to
think about his future, but not necessarily
in the way an average person might. “You’ve
got to retire to something; you don’t retire
from something. We’re an employee-owned
company, started by Dick Goettle in 1956.
It’s important that the company and its name
live on. You must find successors who can
replace you. Going forward, I look to find
those people and get them into place before I
retire. You don’t want to put someone in the
job and walk away. That’s never been how
it works.”
Keller has many years before retirement,
but plans to always stay connected to
Richard Goettle, Inc. The company is simply
part of who he is.
“The other day I was looking around
at all the pictures on our wall at home and
realized they were all memories made as a
function of my work at Goettle. It’s about
creating a lifestyle rather than just working
for ‘the man,’ collecting a paycheck. Some
people say that’s too much work, but I don’t
view it that way.”
Commitment to working hard and
building solid business relationships with
some socializing thrown in is what Keller
would encourage the younger generation to
do if they’re looking for the above-average
career experience.
“You just have to give it your all. I don’t
think anybody ever knows where they’re
going to end up. I look back and can say that
I ended up in a really cool spot. I know I
had some good instruction and good friends
along the way. It’s pretty special.” t
CONSTRUCTION CAREER
Open cell construction for the Argosy Casino Riverboat in Lawrenceburg, Ind.
114 | EDITION 2 2019 www.piledrivers.org
/www.shorelinesteel.com
/www.piledrivers.org
