GAINESVILLE — Credit Gainesville High School’s campus principal for Keith Vincent ending up in the Gainesville school system and now working as the district’s transportation and maintenance director.

A native and lifelong resident of Jacksonville, Fla., Vincent kept getting calls from Mike Kemp, who had arrived in February 2006 from Jacksonville as the new GHS principal.

Kemp told him, "Keith, you’ve got to come see this place — I’d love to have you up here," Vincent said.

Vincent and his wife finally visited, and "both of us just fell in love with Gainesville," he said.

"This (area) is just beautiful. The people are great, every store we went into, the hotels, all the teachers we met, the principals we met, everybody was just fantastic. It was a no-brainer for us."

Vincent, 42, began as a construction teacher at Gainesville High School, starting in 2006-07.

Later, the transportation and maintenance director’s job opened with the departure of Janice Burns. He saw the posting and began to inquire about it.

"To me, it seemed like a good fit, so I applied for the job and interviewed and got it," Vincent said.

He has no regrets.

"As busy as this (job) is, and as much as we’ve got going on, this is the best time I’ve ever had at any job," he said.

And Vincent has had several jobs in his life.

He opened Champion Fence in 1984 and also remodeled homes.

He worked for Southeast Toyota for seven years. He was a firefighter for two years in Live Oak, Fla., also going to Florida State Fire College.

"The whole time I did all that, I kept my business going," Vincent said. "I’ve always been in construction; I’m a third-generation fence man."

He began teaching in 2003. His younger brother, a teacher, called him and asked if he knew anyone who wanted to teach construction.

Vincent told his brother that "nobody with a construction degree wants to leave that money and go into (teaching), but I would love to because ... my daughter was already in high school and my son was fixing to be."

Kemp said he hired Vincent as director of the Building Engineering Architectural and Mechanical Academy at Englewood High School in Jacksonville.

"When the opportunity presented itself to bring Mr. Vincent’s talent to GHS, I jumped at it," he said.

"In addition to his knowledge base of all construction trades, it is his interpersonal skills and commitment to serve that set him apart from the rest," Kemp said.

"Regardless of the challenge, he is the type of person that gets the job done right."

Steven Ballowe, superintendent of the school system, said he is "ecstatic to have the expertise that Mr. Vincent brings to our team."

"His past professional experiences are invaluable, as he can pinpoint problems and craft solutions," he said.

And in a fast-growing system, the work never slows.

That’s OK for Vincent.

"It all goes back to these people," he said of his employees. "Everybody has a great attitude.

"Whether it’s a big project or a small project, everybody feels the same way — (whatever is) best for the kids (and) the safest thing for the kids, let’s do it."