When Delta-Therm interviewed Bill Keyes several months ago, they knew they'd found a skilled tradesman who knew about design. "As a union custom cabinet maker operating his own shop, Bill possessed a unique skill set," said Ada Cryer. "He was already familiar with reading CAD drawings, the bid/spec estimating process, and providing customer service." 

Keyes, a forth generation carpenter, is a lot like his favorite wood, Honduran Mahogany: user-friendly by hard to find.

Keyes joined Delta-Therm in January as its newest customer service representative. His past experiences, working form conception to completion on various building projects with contractors and in his own business, made him the right choice for the job.

"By trade I was raised as a carpenter." said the 43-year-old Tower Lakes resident. "I spent 20 plus years as a union carpenter which made me proficient in blueprint applications, and I dealt with electricians extensively working hand in hand with them on both commercial and residential projects."

A big part of Keyes' job at Delta-Therm involves putting together quotations and designing systems for Delta-Therm's sales reps and clients. He fields technical questions by phone and e-mail, working in tandem with customer service representative Mark Rosario, and reporting to Ada Cryer. 

"Usually, I start out the day by checking my voice mail and I try to return those phone calls right away," he said. "I'm making sure that the clients that have questions are taken care of."

Next, he added, "any requests for quotations are lined up for the day and the rest of my day is spent working on those quotations and fielding any questions that come in."

Keyes notes that designing systems is a favorite part of the job. It's not much different from designing a custom bookcase for a client's home. 

"I used to really enjoy the libraries and I enjoyed the design aspect just as much as the construction," he said, of his former days as owner and operator of W.W. Woodworking, which had a Barrington office and a workshop in Wauconda. 

In a given month, Keyes will design between 20 and 25 Delta-Therm systems. Examples of past project are a small roof and gutter deicing system for a residential home, a commercial pipe tracing system to keep water lines from freezing, and a VA hospital that required snow melting for its courtyard, roof and gutter deicing, and pipe tracing for exposed water lines.

"I think the challenges of this position are learning the expectations of my clients, getting the quotes out in a timely fashion so that each contractor can make their bid dates, and keeping up with the volume of work that's coming in," he said.

Keyes graduated from Rolling Meadows High School in 1985 and married his high school sweetheart, Karen. His great great grandfather was a carpenter, so he grew up learning the trade. He spent 15 years with Asbach and Vanslow in Wauconda before striking out on his own with a business that was successful for eight years.

"I made custom cabinetry and furniture," he said. "Most of my clients were on the North Shore in Chicago."

When Keyes saw an advertisement for Delta-Therm at his church, he knew that it was time for a change.

"The hours I was putting in were extremely extensive and it was a stressful job," he recalled. "I didn't have much time for family, so I was blessed with the opportunity to come into Delta-Therm."

Keyes has a 14-year-old daughter, Elizabeth and an 8-year-old daughter, McKenna. He enjoys spending time with them, and coaching his younger daughters softball team.

In the future, he hopes to advance his skill set at Delta-Therm so that he can be as productive as possible.

"This is a very exciting job," he said. "I'm still in the construction field, and I'm designing and dealing with clients."

Delta-Therm is happy to have Keyes as part of the customer service departments.

"In a short time, he's become a highly valued member of our team," said Cryer.