Keeley'n Spotlight: Devon Swan

Our Civil Infrastructure Group is one of the largest at Keeley and our teams work to support our communities and enhance the infrastructure. Devon Swan, General Foreman, has worked on a variety of projects, helping build a team of dedicated individuals who don’t shy away from the hard jobs.

Devon joined the Keeley family in 2019 as a carpenter on our Casper Stolle crusher project. As one of Keeley’s largest projects, Devon was able to learn the ropes and climb the ladder in his career. After the Casper Stolle project wrapped up, he moved over to the Marlowe project, a multi-family apartment building. During the Civil scope of work, Devon grew even more, and that job is where he was promoted to Foreman. He then moved on to our Deer Creek flood mitigation project where he grew to General Foreman and has been working ever since. This rapid growth in his career has allowed Devon to feel empowered every day when he steps foot onto the job.

“I feel like my opinions are truly heard and I have been given the resources to be able to work up the ladder towards leadership positions. Keeley is the best place I have ever worked. I am empowered to succeed and grow no matter what project I am on.”

Devon’s grandpa was a carpenter, so he grew up around construction. As he got older, he had a friend who approached him about joining the industry and got him into the union. Devon spent the next 10 years working on and off with him and the connections that he made and the experience he gained led him to Keeley. He has loved his time in the industry so far and his favorite thing is the amazing relationships he has been able to build and the unique things he has been able to learn. These relationships will last a lifetime and he has been able to take the things he has learned on one job and apply it to another job, keeping his team safe and the customer happy. This industry is constantly growing, so if he could give a piece of advice to those just starting out in the industry, it would be:

“Pay attention, be assertive, and ask a lot of questions. If you don’t know what you are doing, chances are someone has been through it before and wants to help you learn. Learning is truly how you grow.”

Since joining Keeley and working on a few large-scale projects, Devon has learned a lot of lessons. The most important lesson he has learned is just how crucial communication is for a smooth-running job. It is vital to show up every day with a positive attitude ready to work because that attitude will inspire others to do their best every single day. Devon’s career growth has given him a strong vision for the future, hoping one day to become a Superintendent running the work and building a strong, reputable team.

“Keeley has given me the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects. These projects have been stressful, but more so they have been fun because I have been able to receive support from my team members and from leadership, all while growing and building relationships in the process. This truly is a career destination.”

Devon, thank you for dedication to safety, to career growth, and to being a Keeley’n. We are grateful to have someone like you building the next group of team members in our Civil Group. Your future is incredibly bright!