He protected and served the citizens of Wheeling for 18 years as a member of the Wheeling Police Department, but now Kevin Kettler is in the perfect position to concentrate on particular properties owned and operated by employees of Roxby Development.
Kettler was graduated from The Linsly School in 1995, and after earning his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Washington & Jefferson College, he completed his Master’s in Criminology at West Liberty University. Kettler was hired by Roxby as the director of security and now spends his time watching over the McLure House in downtown Wheeling, the Scottish Rite Cathedral and Cliff House West in East Wheeling, and also The Monastery in Woodsdale.
“As soon as I started with Roxby, I had to seek out and find other people to cover the other shifts,” Kettler explained. “I have found those new employees and I now have all shifts covered by people who have either been in law enforcement or a member of the military.
“Plus, at the McLure House, we have special events and I have to make sure those functions are adequately covered, as well,” he continued. “So far at the hotel, we had the after-jam parties, and we also had a special event for the Pride Festival after everything was finished at Heritage Port. On top of those things, I also have been working on the hotel’s IT system and the security camera system.”
One can often find Kettler at his post in the McLure lobby so he can greet the hotel’s guests to assure them he and his staff are on duty, and also to limit property access to those with nefarious intentions.
“The word is out in the community that there is security here at the McLure House, and we are prepared to address any individual who does not have any business in the hotel or with any of our guests,” Kettler explained. “I have no idea what took place inside the hotel the past few years, but I know when the gas and oil guys were staying here, police were called to the building pretty often because with that kind of influx of new people in this area, more crime came to the area. That was true in downtown Wheeling, too.
“During that period of time, we saw a lot of new drugs come into the area, and the amount of prostitution increased, as well,” he said. “Since I started, I would say there is definitely a difference today. In the beginning we had two or three individuals who tried to get into the hotel for other reasons than visiting guests or to get a room themselves. That stuff might have been OK in the past, but it’s not OK now.”
Ground to Cover
The Scottish Rite Cathedral possesses thousands of square feet on its five floors, two of which – the second and the fifth – are being transformed into entertainment venues. A restaurant and lounge also are being developed on the first floor.
The McLure House features 173 rooms on seven floors and soon will once again feature a bar and restaurant on the first floor and a new lounge on the eighth.
“There are a lot of positive changes that are taking place right now at the hotel and at the company’s other properties,” Kettler said. “I know there is a lot of excitement about the hotel getting painted on the outside and spruced up on the inside, and that’s because the people of Wheeling have been waiting a long time for positive news about the downtown area.
“I am hoping that now that people see what Roxby is doing and what we’re all about as a company that it will instigate others to do the same with their properties,” he said. “Development follows development, so now that Roxby has taken the lead, it will be interesting to see what follows.”
