Dan Secone is more than just a personal advocate for his clients; he’s a dedicated guardian of their interests, an unwavering advocate, a trusted advisor, and ultimately an indispensable member of their team.
His passion for design and construction started at a young age by building skate ramps. After high school, he delved into the world of carpentry, honing his skills in building houses. An individual with a relentless drive, Dan pursued a degree at The Wentworth Institute of Technology, aiming to become an architect. Graduating with a degree in Architectural Engineering Technology, he wanted to immerse himself in the field, knowing that practical experience would enrich his architectural aspirations later on.
“I thought that the building experience would make me a better architect,” Dan recalls. “Ten years went by, I had a family, and I liked what I was doing.”
By the time Dan was 24 years old, he was running jobs as a construction superintendent with 300+ workers taking his direction. He recalls his work at the Yale Payne Whitney Gymnasium – a historic building originally constructed in the 1920’s. It was during his work on this project that a Project Manager working onsite received a call from a headhunter at Bryant University looking for an Owner’s Project Manager. He brought the opportunity up to Dan, and, though he hesitated – given his background to that point was largely in superintendent roles – he applied and got the job.
Dan had been contemplating a career change, and that call was a blessing. He remembers coming home from work many nights to find his son was already in bed.
“I thought ‘time out’. I knew being a superintendent wasn’t the end all for me. I wanted to see my family more.”
It was at Bryant where Dan fell in love with the OPM role. His work on the Bryant Builds Campaign encompassed a three year, 90 million dollar capital build campaign that included a new athletic facility, stadium improvements, a new running track, and new classrooms.
“When I became an OPM, I started taking things from beginning to end and I loved it. Prior to that I always felt like I was walking into a project where things had gone wrong, the design was a mess, and I was gone and onto the next project before everything was finished. I never got to see things through from beginning to end. As an OPM, I have that opportunity.”
Dan’s relationship with KCM started while he was working as an OPM at Electric Boat. KCM founder Ray Keough had recently won several contracts for work at EB and Dan’s great relationships within the organization made him a natural fit for a Senior Project Manager position at KCM.
“Ray brought me in for an interview,” Dan recalls. “He sat me down and said ‘I’m hiring you, but I may as well interview you and get to know you.’”
Dan became President of KCM following Ray’s recent sale of the company – to none other than its employees. Dan is dedicated to driving the firm’s growth, collaborating to continuously improve the company’s processes, and educating his team about the valuable intricacies of KCM’s employee-owned structure. He says that KCM’s people are what makes the company great. As an employee-owned company, everyone has a vested interest in the success of KCM.
“Our project managers will call me up with great business ideas, suggestions on how we can be more profitable, and how we can generate more work. I think that’s a great environment to be a part of.”
Outside of work, you can find Dan spending time with his family. Lovers of the outdoors, you can find Dan, along with his wife and kids, hanging out at the beach in the summer and skiing during the winter.
