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Denis Keohane |
By Gail Lacouture Denis Keohane, 43, an Irish immigrant with the brogue and charm to match, has a lot to say but, more importantly, the experience and knowledge to back it up. A real estate developer, Keohane was bitten by the political bug earlier this year when he worked on state Sen. Scott Brown’s campaign for U.S. Senate. Brown, who was his lawyer for 15 years, completed all of Keohane’s real estate closings. The two remain friends. During the last two weeks of Brown’s campaign, Keohane said, he truly enjoyed watching Brown sell himself and his vision for the state to constituents who, at first, did not support him. Keohane was inspired and motivated to use his own background to sell his ideas for the town’s schools. “What better way to start than at the local level?” he asked. After discussing some of the town’s issues with longtime committee member Lovely, the School Committee seemed to be the best fit. “I’m concentrating on being a good listener for the first two months,” Keohane said, detailing his short time on the board. “I don’t say anything just for the sake of saying it.” He made it clear, however, that he “loves” serving on the committee because it’s similar to his everyday job: negotiating contracts and working with budgets. Currently, he is negotiating with the electrical union in South Boston for his next building project. Keohane said he has the experience the town needs and the knowledge to take it where it needs to go. “We are in the honeymoon phase of the schools,” he said, referring to the six new school buildings. “These buildings being maintained by three people is a recipe for disaster.” Keohane is an advocate for the plan recently approved by Town Meeting that would consolidate the maintenance of all the town buildings, including the schools, under one umbrella. Discussions on that issue will continue. Along with managing his time on the School Committee and his busy development business, Keohane is at work on a major personal endeavor: his first book. “I started it about six months ago,” he said. “It’s all about motivation and real estate.” Keohane said the book will focus on 10 clear-cut strategies for folks looking to succeed in business and in life, if they aren’t quite sure how to get there. He hopes the book will be finished by the end of the year. It will be titled “Self-Made in America.” “I have 20 years of experience,” he said. “And I’m going to sell it.” In the 1980s, during the worst recession to hit Ireland in 100 years, Keohane, like so many of his countrymen, set out to America searching for work. “I wanted to try it out for six weeks,” he said. “Six weeks turned into 22 years.” Keohane’s journey began in New York City. He also lived in Dallas for a short time before coming to the Boston area. He stayed with his great-uncle in Milton. He met his wife of now 20 years, Mary, during that period. The couple has three teenage daughters: Emily, 17; Julia, 15; and Olivia, 13. The girls are fluent in French, as they’ve been in the French Immersion program since the first grade. Keohane is a strong supporter of the program. After meeting Mary, Keohane spent about three months in Australia before heading back to Ireland for a short stint. There were still no opportunities there, so he came back to Milton. Since he was virtually “unemployable and had no formal experience,” the most viable option for him was to open his own business. He started a remodeling/general contracting company in 1990. In addition to getting married, he purchased his first home that year. He bought a triple-decker in Roslindale, which was his first venture in real estate. About two years later, he stopped contracting and focused solely on real estate and property development. During this time he met key contacts in the industry, including Brown, and built a solid portfolio. He was “well on his way” by his mid-20s. While extremely proud of his “self-made” success story, there was one element that was always missing: He didn’t have a college degree. “It always bothered me that I never went to college,” said Keohane, who credits Mary with the nudge he needed. “My wife always encouraged me to go back.” And so he did. Keohane, who attained his Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Nazarene College last year, stated emphatically that it changed his life for the better. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in business this fall. |
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