PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction management company Keiter Corp. is expanding to the Berkshires with a new Pittsfield office.
Keiter is celebrating 17 years of business. It was founded in Florence by owner Scott Keiter in the midst of the economic collapse as Keiter Builders, and over the years saw exponential growth, rebranding a decade later as Keiter Corp. with four divisions — residential construction, commercial and industrial, site work, and real estate. It moved to a 6,000-square-foot facility in West Springfield last year.
"For several years, we've had the opportunity to work with incredible clients and professionals throughout the Berkshires, and it felt like the right time to officially set roots," said founder and CEO Scott Keiter in announcing the opening. "We're proud to continue to grow in a region where we've already begun to build strong partnerships."
Keiter's done several projects for Amherst College and Smith College, and has done work as varied as student housing for the Cutchins Programs for Children & Families, law offices, kitchen renovations, laboratories and the Look Park fountain renovation.
Most of its work has been in the Northampton area but it has worked in the Berkshires with building the barn at Mass Audubon's Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and Bousquet Sport's 34,000-square-foot-facility, as well as with Premium Waters, Berkshire Medical Center, the town of Lenox, Sts. Patrick and Raphael's Church in Williamstown, and residential clients.
"We are expanding to Pittsfield to better serve our growing number of Berkshire customers and deepen our roots in the region. We admire the Berkshires for its culture, creativity, and community," said Jill Keitner, director of administration.
"Over the years, we've had the privilege of working with incredible clients and partners throughout the Berkshires. We have established relationships with organizations such as Mass Audubon, Bousquet Sports, Premium Waters, Berkshire Medical Center, and the Town of Lenox. These relationships are meaningful because they reflect our commitment to the community and our collaborative approach to projects."
Keiter — both owner and company — have been very involved in the Northampton/Springfield community. It made significant donations to the Northampton Chamber of Commerce to boost economic activity and Scott Keiter has served on multiple boards including Smith Vocational and Agricultural High, Florence Bank, Look Memorial Park and the Cutchins Programs for Children and Families.
Keiter, the company, hopes to provide the best for its clients and work with them more than once.
"We believe in construction being more than just bricks and mortar. We want to be that contractor that's invited back to work with the same clients over and over again," said Brynn Grant, director of marketing and business development. "We're about 87 percent repeat clients. To us, that's the highest compliment — it tells us we're doing the job right."
The Pittsfield office is in the Clock Tower Business Center at 75 Church St. For more information, go to Keiter.com or call the office at 413-586-8600.
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Texas-Style Barbecue Opens for Lunch, Takeout in Downtown Pittsfield
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — FireKing BBQ is making it easier to find its smoked ribs — they're in the Clocktower Building in downtown Pittsfield.
Owner Ethan Sumner has been operating as a catering service for more than a decade, with a mobile smoker for his award-winning barbecue.
"We specialize in low and slow cooking as well as grilling over charcoal and hardwoods," he said. "We love using cherry wood, apple wood, and a little kiss of hickory wood in all of our cooking. Most of our cooking, I should say. And we don't use any propane. I'm a purist in that sense. I love cooking over open flame and hot coals."
He works alongside Robear Robespierre, who helps with Sumner's sales and distribution.
Sumner said he spends hours cooking his meat, like his baby back ribs that won him first place in the 2019 Grillsdale competition in New York State. It takes him about six hours, two of them smoking at 250 degrees, to cook the ribs.
He said he wanted a space to be able to keep up with demand. Business dropped off every winter because people think of barbecue as outdoor food, and while he will cook outside even in negative temperatures, an indoor space lets him serve year-round, including football season and the Super Bowl.
He is now located at 75 South Church St. and he is no stranger to the building. Sumner had run the publication Berkshire's Best: Buys, Business, and Beyond out of the building so he knew its possibilities.
"It's funny how I've come full circle here back into the building. So I've always kind of seen this space. But I was never into culinary then. I was into publishing. So this is 13 years in the making, and I had my paper for 13 years, which again, is coincidental," he said. "So I just really like this space. It's modern. It's nice. It's clean, and that's how my food is. It's clean. It's fresh, and it's local, just like me."
Sumner is originally from New York City and made his way to Great Barrington with his family. One of the inspirations behind his business was his father, who loved to grill outside.
"Even when we lived in New York City, he would go on the terrace of our 36-story apartment building on the third floor there was a terrace, and he would always cook on a Weber charcoal grill with charcoal, and I always was fascinated by that. And he always loved cooking outside, and he loved cooking over charcoal. And he would always make this mustard and tea leaf steak," he said. "That was a standout. It was a family favorite of ours and I could always taste the difference between something that was cooked [with charcoal]. Even when I was 7 years old I could, I always craved that certain taste that you could only get from charcoal."
He wants customers to know he cares about his food and its quality, making sure he gets the best ingredients for his dishes.
"I want them to know that. I'm a barbecue guy, but I also offer so much more. I consider myself somebody who loves cooking over open flame, smoking meats, but I also love using fresh ingredients to create deli sandwiches and fresh salads," Sumner said. "So I want people to associate FireKing with quality. I also want to point out that I get a lot of my meat from Mazzeo's meat market. So I don't sacrifice quality, which I think is half the battle in doing what I do is getting quality meats and produce."
He hopes customer will find the eatery a comfortable atmosphere to enjoy their lunch and hangout, or grab a sandwich and go.
"They could grab a pulled pork sandwich in about a minute and a half flat and be out of here if they want to. So there's no pressure," he said. "I love the community. I love talking to people here. Everyone in this community has been super kind and gracious, and I appreciate them. And I want to give back what they've given me."
He also plans to have DoorDash and barbecue pickup packages for families, and to have vacuum-sealed, pre-cooked smoked ribs with reheating instructions, also available for local pickup.