Keeley'n Spotlight: Dan Gronek
Our Building Group builds communities to enhance the ways in which we live, work, and play. Our dedicated Keeley’ns are paving the way for a brighter future with the next generation in mind. Dan Gronek, Senior Project Manager, has been working on one of our largest projects, leading with our core values – PRIDE.
Dan joined the Keeley Building Group in July 2021 and has been working on the Olive Crossing project ever since. Olive Crossing is a redevelopment of the critical corner fronting Olive and I-170 in St. Louis, bringing a dynamic environment featuring over 180,000 SF of office space, a 181-unit multifamily residential building, and 30,000 SF of retail, dining, and services. Dan has been an integral part of bringing this project out of the ground, having assisted with the bidding, site development, and current construction phases. Being able to lead such a large project has empowered Dan to grow and lead by example every day when he steps onto the jobsite.
“I feel empowered that this project has been entrusted to the Olive Crossing team. The OC team functions as an independent project with outside support from Quality and Safety. I feel that the team has been empowered to run this project as we see fit and we are able and encouraged to make decisions that are in the best interest of the project and Keeley Construction.”
Growing up, Dan was always trying to figure out how things worked, taking them apart and putting them back together, along with building things with whatever materials he could find. This sparked an early passion for engineering and he graduated college with a degree in Civil Engineering that would allow him to be in the field, interacting with his crews and building something from the ground up. Throughout his career, Dan’s favorite thing has been seeing a project start from dirt and turn into an operational building. He also loves working with such a wide variety of people and building relationships that will last a lifetime. Dan is grateful to have found his home in the construction industry, so if he could give a piece of advice to someone just starting out, it would be:
“Be a sponge! Get out and walk projects with your mentors, superintendents, and leadership. Do not be afraid to ask questions and speak up. You have to be eager to learn as everything cannot just be taught.”
Even though Dan has been with Keeley for a short time, he has loved every second. As he looks towards his future at Keeley, Dan is excited to continue to grow the Building Group and celebrate success as a team. Dan has set high expectations for himself, the Building Group, and the company, and he cannot wait to exceed those expectations every year while living out Keeley’s mission and values.
“Success is a team effort! None of us can succeed without the other people on the team. We either succeed together or we fail together.”
Dan has fully embraced Keeley’s core values – PRIDE – and relates the most to Respect and Empowerment. He sees these lived out every day through the way Keeley’ns treat each other, our partners, and our clients. Every Keeley’n is empowered to perform their work to the best of their ability and how they see fit. For Dan, it’s an amazing thing to see these values align with so many team members. Dan knows that he has found his career destination at Keeley and is excited to see where his path takes him.
“My favorite thing about Keeley is the people and the culture. Keeley has created a culture of: lead by example, listen aggressively, communicate with purpose and meaning, create a climate of trust, look for results, take calculated risks, go beyond standard procedure, build up your people, generate unity, and improve your people’s quality of life. This type of culture allows people to thrive and there are endless opportunities to grow your career!”
Dan, thank you for your leadership on the Olive Crossing project and for embracing what it means to be a Keeley’n! We are so grateful to have you on the team and can’t wait to see how you grow the Building Group.
