High Companies names non-family member as chairS. Dale High stepping down in March, to serve as chairman emeritus

The longtime chairman of the boards of High Companies, S. Dale High, is stepping down at the end of March.

He will be replaced by Paula Crowley, a nine-year board member and CEO of Delaware-based Anchor Health Properties. She is the first non-family member to chair the boards at High Companies, based in East Lampeter Township.

High, who has been with the company since 1963, will transition to chairman emeritus, where he will work in a consultative role to support strategic planning, government relations and business development.

The 73-year-old said the succession planning process has been in development for "decades," as the High family worked to build the governance structure and plan for future generations.

"Dale has always had a great vision for the companies and the governance structure," said Greg High, Dale's son and chairman of The High Family Council, which represents the family's majority ownership of High Companies.

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Greg said his father encouraged the third generation of Highs to develop a plan in 2006. The family researched the structures of other long-running, diversified family-owned companies.

In 2011, the decision was made to have common directors on the 10-member boards of High Industries and High Real Estate Group. In 2012, the system of having two CEOs was changed to one with a single CEO.

CEO Mike Shirk was named to the post in 2014; he assumed the role Jan. 1, 2015.

Crowley's appointment to chairwoman is the latest step in the process.

"We wanted the best possible candidate for the next iteration of the company," Dale High said.

Crowley, 60, will serve in a non-executive capacity at High. She co-founded Anchor, a national, full-service health care development company, in 1985.

"We're fortunate because Paula came out of a family business background," Dale High said. "She grew up and worked in family-related businesses and understands the family aspect. She also has a lot of experience in real estate development."

Early in her career, Crowley worked for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York. She quickly moved from traditional retail to real estate development with The Rouse Co. in Maryland, where she was responsible for a number of urban retail projects.

Dale High and Shirk each said Crowley has been a strong collaborator. "She will be a strong advocate for innovation and entrepreneurship, which is part of our philosophy and DNA," Shirk said. "She's passionate about High. You can't underestimate that."

Crowley, who is traveling and was unavailable for comment for this story, has been the chairwoman of the company's investment committee.

She is a graduate of Middlebury College. She has a master's degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a masters of business administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

2016 outlook

High Companies finished 2015 with $643.3 million in revenue, according to Business Journal records. That was up from $593.2 million in 2014.

Shirk said the company is "cautious but quite optimistic" about this year.

"We've been making investments. Despite the caution around the economy, we have stronger backlogs than we did a year ago," he said.

Related stories: High Companies invests for growth

The company made three key leadership hires at the end of last year. Shirk said the goal is to add 100 more to the full-time workforce, which is now 2,030 employees, including nearly 1,300 in Lancaster County.

High Companies is the largest private company in Lancaster County.

Those positions will be added across the board, he said. "We're looking to strengthen our sales and marketing capability across many of our businesses."

He also expects a good mix of new positions in engineering, logistics, project management and hotel management.

"At the end of the day, the goal is to try to set High Companies up to thrive and sustain and be strong for many decades to come," Shirk said.

The company was founded in 1931.

High Companies is comprised of High Industries Inc. and High Real Estate Group LLC. The former includes the following affiliates: High Steel Structures LLC, High Concrete Group LLC, High Steel Service Center LLC, High Transit LLC, High Structural Erectors LLC and High Co. LLC. The latter includes: High Associates Ltd., High Construction Co., Greenfield Architects Ltd., High Hotels Ltd., High Environmental Health and Safety Consulting Ltd. and High Investors Ltd.

Source: Central Penn Business Journal