Denis Keohane: Self-Made in America

A few weeks ago, I ran into Denis Keohane at the Celtic Coffee House in downtown New Bedford.  Denis is well known around the city as the co-owner of one of New Bedford’s most popular nightlife spots, and one of my favorite watering holes, the Catwalk Bar & Grille. While I waiting for my coffee, I was able to sit down and ask him a few questions about his life.  After talking with him for awhile I realized that, although he is from Ireland, Denis Keohane is an American success story, and proof that the American Dream still exists.

First things first: Did I spell your name correctly?
Yes, you did.  Good job.

So where are you from originally?
I am from the beautiful town of Kinsale, in County Cork, Ireland.

How long have you been in the USA?
I came here in 1988, so its been 23 years and counting.

Why did you leave Ireland?
During the 1980’s, Ireland was in its worst recession since its own great depression, which happened in 1845.  Even though we were all educated and hard working, work was scarce. It was frustrating to be hanging around, working mediocre jobs and making small money when I knew that I was capable of doing much better. Ever since I was 15-years-old, I dreamed of coming to America and making my fortune here.  In January of 1988, at the age of 21, I decided to take action on the rest of my life and bought a plane ticket for America.  I wrote down a list of goals for myself on the flight to America, and three years later, I had reached all of them.

What is it like being the behind-the-scenes man of the Catwalk Bar & Grille?
I love it. I am a believer in the saying, “too many cooks spoil the broth.”  I have great partners, and I trust in (co-owners) Barry and Cathy Flynn. It allows me to be somewhat hands-off to let them run the daily operations of the Catwalk. However, I am always involved in the behind-the-scenes issues such as permitting, licensing, insurance and legal issues.

What are some things that many people don’t know about you?
Most people in the New Bedford area would know me as one of the owners of the Catwalk Bar and Grille.  However, I am primarily a real estate investor and developer in Boston, although I have many investments in New Bedford and Fall River.

What are some of your hobbies?
I am an avid road cyclist and a three-handicap golfer. I love to fly single-engine Cessna planes out of New Bedford Regional Airport to different parts of the Cape, including the Vineyard and Nantucket. I  got my license to fly about four years ago.

Where is your favorite place to eat in New Bedford?
I love to have lunch at the Celtic Coffee House, on Water Street, near the Whaling Museum.  They have free Wi-Fi, soft music playing in the background, and if you want peace and quiet, there is a back room where you can enjoy the music and get some work done. One of my favorite places to eat dinner is at the Candleworks Restaurant, which is also near the Whaling Museum. The food and the atmosphere at Candleworks is great.

What is your favorite food?
I love lamb, with garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus and mint sauce.

Are you married? Do you have children?
Yes, for over twenty years to Mary, who is from Arlington, MA. We have three daughters: Emily (17), Julia (16) and Olivia (14).

Out of all the places in the United States, how did you land here in New Bedford?
When the Boston real estate market began to get out of hand with its prices a number of years ago, I decided to start looking elsewhere for deals. I stumbled on New Bedford and immediately saw the potential there.  It has so much going for it-a natural, deep water harbor, an airport, cobblestone streets downtown, a whaling museum.  It’s perfectly located geographically on the water’s edge, surrounded by affluent towns.  There are a couple of colleges within a few miles, and the area had a young population. It was a perfect place for me to start investing, and the first investment I made was in the Catwalk.  We transformed a rundown, drug-infested building into what you see today. It was the beginning of the transformation of lower Union St.

My vision was to make that part of Union Street a destination, with lots of bars and restaurants and people living there to make it a vibrant part of the city. Since we opened the Catwalk, many new bars and restaurants have followed us there, and today we are creating an environment where people can live and work in the same neighborhood.

I bought many other residential buildings in and around the city, fixed them up and re-sold them for a profit. Now that the economy is mending itself again, I am looking to invest in many properties around the city again. I think the opportunities are endless, now that the prices have reached bottom. Economic trends don’t lie, and after every recession, there is a boom.

Has your success affected your family life in positive or negative way?
All positive.  The reason is that I take my success in my stride and refuse to let it change my life in a negative way.  Many people tend to change when they become successful, ending up divorced or in bad relationships because they think that they are supposed to behave in a certain way. I have studied many self-made millionaires as I was climbing the ladder, and I learned that nearly all self-made people remain unchanged in their lifestyle habits. I was determined to be that way, so everyday I concentrate and focus on building my family first, then business, and then all my other interests.

Is there anything you would have done differently?
Truthfully, I wouldn’t have done anything differently since the day I came to America. I was able to recognize the potential here, make the appropriate plans, set attainable goals, and then go after it. I was committed to making sacrifices to reach goals, and although it wasn’t pleasant, after making those commitments and staying with them, the rewards were enormous and well worth the sacrifices.

Do you have any big plans in the works?

The biggest plans and goals in my life are yet to come. My main goal for the next ten years is to give back. By that I mean giving back all the information and knowledge I have attained from self-made experiences over the past 23 years.

I have coached hundreds of people privately over the past ten years and watched them become success stories themselves, just by teaching them a few techniques and strategies that I have consistently applied to my life on a daily basis.

I wrote a book, entitled Self Made in America – Mediocrity to Millions in Three Years.  I will have it published this summer, and sold nationwide on an infomercial that we are now in the process of creating for television.  I will start off in New England, giving free seminars and getting people motivated to take advantage of the next economic upswing, which is just around the corner.  At these seminars, we will sell books, CD’s, DVD’s, coaching lessons, and boot camps, where I will give two-day seminars so people can have access to much more information. We have a new website that covers the seminars and more, and anyone can visit my real estate company website, www.KeohaneCompany.com, and leave me comments.  There is also a new YouTube clip from a recent investors meeting that will give you a good idea of what you can expect at my seminars

Well Denis, you certainly have an amazing story.  Thank you for taking the time out to talk to me and share a little bit about yourself. Hopefully your story will inspire people to take action and start going after their own dreams.