For Pioneer Larry Keiter, It’s All In The Data

Larry Keiter is a collector. Be it rare coins on the beach, baseball cards or now, Lego® building toys and blocks, Larry approaches everything with enthusiasm and meticulousness.  And he brings these passions to Working Solutions.

“I have always been attentive to detail, and I was a natural at data entry,” said Larry who serves as a success manager. Early on, his work drew the attention of company chief executive Kim Houlne, who recognizes that robust data is critical to customer service.

Larry is truly a Working Solutions pioneer, having joined the company as an agent in 1998 and as a full-fledged employee in 2003.

“In 2000, we had about 20 people doing data entry,” Larry said. That number swelled to 150 people in 2003 after Working Solutions landed a contract supporting a top pharmaceutical brand. While the need for data entry to support Working Solutions’ client accounts remains strong, a lot of the process is now automated, and the number of professionals entering information is much, much smaller. Larry takes pride in the agents he teaches one-on-one to enter data, where accuracy is a must. “Many of them have become personal friends.”

A Witness to Growth

Larry is not surprised Working Solutions has prospered over the past 25 years. “I’ve gotten to watch this company grow. It’s a fantastic business led by people with big ideas.” He said he couldn’t imagine a better work environment. “I report directly to Kim, and I talk with her a few times each month. She is great to work with, and I love the culture at Working Solutions.”

Larry, who spent 25 years in the Air Force, lives in rural Crestview, Florida, a sleepy town on the Panhandle. “Walmart is our top employer, and we’ve got a lot of fast-food restaurants. That’s about it.”  He recalled how exciting it was when the first Starbucks moved in. “I’m typically there twice a day.”

He got used to small towns early on. Larry was born in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania in the village of Newfoundland. “It was a wonderful, but tiny, place to grow up. I had 140 people in my school, and 14 people in my high school graduating class,” he recalled. “Everyone knew everything about everyone.” And this is where he got his resilience. “We all played every sport— baseball, basketball and football. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have enough people to field a team.”

Larry knew everyone had to contribute, a value he carried into corporate life.

One Block at a Time

Larry, who has a 31-year-old son, said he loves his life. He has a job where he is valued and gets to pursue all of his passions. “I will always be a kid at heart.” You get the idea of his obsession for Legos when you enter his three-bedroom house. “I’ve gotten rid of everything except for my recliner, my bed and my dresser.” All you’ll see are boxes of Legos.

“I’m not good at building things on my own, but I’m good at following directions,” he said. “I’m partial to collecting sets relating to Star Wars and Star Trek. They have become very valuable.” And valuable is a good word to describe Larry, who often works into the night for Working Solutions. Even though he’s in his 70s, Larry has no plan to retire.

“I’ve got a great job that I’m good at and a great life that is very fulfilling. I couldn’t be happier.”

“I’ve gotten to watch this company grow. It’s a fantastic business led by people with big ideas.”