Dave Keating’s work as the director of facilities at Consolidated High School District 230 could be considered a thankless job.
He and his crew were busy during a recent August heat wave. They are also busy when it gets too cold. They are busy with construction and other issues at Sandburg in Orland Park, Andrew in Tinley Park and Stagg in Palos Park.
When things are going right, he is often ignored. When things are going wrong, though, it’s “Hey Dave!” time.
But he loves the fact that he can wake up and go to work not knowing what’s in store for him.
“There is never a dull day,” Keating said. “I never sit at my desk and say ‘oh boy it’s another long day at work.’ There is always action. There is always something to do.
“If I have to, I will get in there and get my hands dirty and fix something myself. But it’s ever-changing and it’s not the same day every day. It’s something different. It’s not rinse-repeat, rinse-repeat.”
It’s also a job that does not produce a lot of fanfare. But that changed when Keating was named with seven other facility directors across the country as a Facilities Champion by FacilitiesNet, an industry trade publisher.
He and the other champs will be honored during a webcast on Nov. 12.
District 230 chief technology officer John Connolly appreciates Keating’s work and nominated him for the award.
“Dave knows nearly every square inch of all three campuses,” Connolly said in a news release. “His attention to detail is second to none and the students and staff are lucky to have such a dedicated steward of our facilities.”
Keating was named District 230 director of facilities in 2020. He is a graduate of St. Rita High School in Chicago and is a certified journeyman electrician with 15 years of commercial and residential construction and management experience. He also had five years of experience as the district’s maintenance supervisor.
According to FacilitiesNet, over 100 nominations for the Facility Champion award were received this year, more than doubling nominations from a year ago.
Among Keating’s fellow winners are facility managers at a New Jersey airport, a Florida hotel and an insurance company in Milwaukee, as well as leaders from other school districts across the country.
“The facility management industry is full of so many amazing individuals,” said Dan Weltin, editor-in-chief for FacilitiesNet in a news release. “Narrowing down entries to only eight winners is an incredibly difficult task, but I’m proud that we are able to recognize these deserving managers.
“Winners come from all levels of experience and a variety of markets, but they all share standout leadership traits and have a passion for this industry.”
During the Aug 26-27 heat wave, Keating was pulled in a few different directions.
“I go building-to-building every day anyway,” he said. “But it was pretty crazy. Each school had a problem and we tried to work it out the best way we could.
“We had help from the district and the school admin. We moved kids around where we needed to, and we had fans brought into areas that were overheating. Overall, I think we handled it pretty well.”
His wildest day came during a polar vortex in January 2019, when windchills reached 50 degrees below zero in the area.
The cold weather presents enough challenges on its own, but Keating and his crew had an added bonus to keep them on their frozen toes.
“We lost power at Stagg the same day that was going on,” he said. “There was no heat in the building. The kids weren’t in school, but we were there chasing pipes that were bursting. Any small way that air got in there, it would freeze the pipes and then when they thawed out, we were flooded.”
He added they were chasing related issues at the other two schools as well, but Stagg needed the most attention.
But his job is not always racing from emergency to emergency.
“There are days that are quiet, and those are nice to have,” he said. “But there are still problems that have to be addressed but they are miniscule. A light switch or something. Small stuff.
“It’s not every day that your hair is on fire and you are running around.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.