David (Dave) Keen is not your average agent and this is not your average story. He started his professional career working as a technician in telecommunications. However, his real desire was always to work in sales and spend more time interacting with clients. Eventually, Dave transitioned his career into sales and after achieving success in telecommunications a friend offered him an opportunity to do merchant services sales with First Data, now known as CardConnect -- a payments platform of Fiserv.
For the next 14 years, Dave worked in merchant services sales, as a team manager, and even a corporate trainer in the industry. With time, he felt that he had enough relationships to build out his own team and book of business. He took the leap and decided to join MerchantPro Express (MPX) in 2018 to grow and train his own group of agents. His team thrived there, and he continued to expand his book of business across the US. In 2020, MPX was acquired by Fiserv and he joined the team at CardConnect. At CardConnect, Dave has been able to expand his client base and benefit from CardConnect’s wide range of products, marketing support and technology resources. He continues to enjoy servicing his merchants; has always had a love for talking to and educating business owners.
His first-class service for his merchants brought about a unique development to Dave’s life and led to a lasting friendship. In March of 2020, Dave was doing an install for a small pizza shop at Roma’s Pizza & Pasta in Dayton, Ohio. The merchant was deeply concerned about opening the business in the start of COVID and Dave was there on opening day to install a Clover system. The phone was ringing non-stop and Labi Troni, the business owner, asked if Dave could assist him with answering phones. Labi was extremely short staffed due to the COVID pandemic. Dave obliged and spent the night helping the staff at Roma’s learn the Clover system and how to take orders over the phone. The business owner asked if Dave could come back to help again the next day. Dave said he would come back but also brought along his son Riley along to help out. Both of Dave’s children have learning disabilities and it has not always been easy for them to find work and a supportive employer. Soon after, Labi hired Riley where he exceled at working in the restaurant environment. Dave continued to volunteer and help out at Roma’s along with his son for the next several months.
As Dave’s relationship grew, so did the referrals of friends and family that owned other restaurants in the area. Dave ended up signing on a network of restaurants over the next couple years--all from referrals that came from Roma’s. During those setups, Dave offered the same type of hands on training and generally spent a few days with the client after installation. Dave’s business continues to grow today from referrals from merchants’ friends and family.
In November of 2021, Dave was referred to an uncle of Labi’s named Junior and was able to get him setup with a few Clover stations. A few months after installation, Junior mentioned to Dave that he was looking to sell a local business called Troni Brothers Pizza. When Junior mentioned this to Dave, he thought it could be a great opportunity to take an existing business with an incredible reputation and create an Outreach Program. This program would provide a positive environment for young adults with learning disabilities to gain work experience. Dave’s dream came to fruition and in May of 2022, Dave, his wife and two sons became the owners of Troni Brothers Pizza. They started working with special education groups at local schools to be an avenue for students with learning disabilities to obtain work experience. Some of the workers would tell Dave, “I never thought I could find a place where I could fit in” and Troni Brothers has given local students and young adults that opportunity.
Along with opening Troni Brothers, Dave continues to run his team at CardConnect as well as service businesses and merchants. He says no matter what you do “you have to have a passion for it.” Merchant Services has always been a passion of his and has allowed him to help many business owners grow their businesses. His biggest lesson is that “if you do what you love, you don’t feel like you’re working a day in your life.”
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