High Spirit
High Spirit
On the Cover:
Andy Diener, High Steel Structures Inc., gives the “thumbs up” during the Race Against Racism (article on page 13).
2007 GOOD MEASURE AWARD WINNERS:
1.Robert W. Algoe, High Construction Company
2.Donald J. Richardson, High Steel Structures Inc.
3.Roy E. Groff, III, High Associates Ltd.
4.Pamela J. Fulmer, Maureen E. Cruz, and Jennifer J. Suydam, High Corporate Services LLC
Elaine Richard, Interim Editor Laurie Newmoyer, Graphics All comments and suggestions are welcome and should be submitted to:
They Give Good Measure
By S. Dale High, Chairman
t is not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute, that gives meaning to our lives”, writer Anthony Robbins once observed. This can be seen over and over again in many leaders, in those who serve others, in friends and family members, and in those with whom we work every day. These are special people who value their ability to make a difference in the lives of others, who go above and beyond the call of duty, who “build trustworthy relationships and are innovative leaders”, as described in The High Philosophy. If we are truly attuned, we can see daily opportunities for serving others and making lives better. In turn, our lives become more meaningful and filled with purpose.
We often see evidence of these attributes in our place of work. At High ®, we traditionally call this “giving good measure”, a term that has followed us from the early years of the company’s existence as an integral part of our culture and philosophy. Through our Good Measure Award Program, we seek to recognize those who exemplify The High Philosophy, a person or team that has gone above and beyond his/her/its responsibilities to provide good measure. Throughout the year, nominations for the Good Measure Award are received and evaluated and winners are selected. As a co-worker, you are empowered to present nominations to the Good Measure Award Committee at your work location. In fact, I encourage you to watch for behavior that you feel warrants nomination. If you need assistance with the nomination form, a Good Measure Committee member will be happy to help you.
Each year at this time, it is indeed a pleasure for me to share with you those who have won the Good Measure Award in the past year.
Robert W. Algoe, a carpenter with High Construction Company, was nominated for his willingness to take on responsibilities far greater than those that would normally be required of him. His initiative resulted in an early completion of the Shoppes at Wyomissing project, cost savings on the job, and, most importantly, a happy customer. Bob took charge of subcontractor issues that did not require the Job Superintendent’s direct attention and then promptly notified the Job Superintendent of the situation. He worked extra hours, sometimes Saturdays, to give the Job Superintendent time away from the project. Bob has worked well with all contractors on site with coordination and help in moving material and equipment, in addition to overseeing the manpower. He watched quality of subcontractors’ work and questioned any installation that was not correct or below standard. Bob was nominated by Daniel E. Cartwright.
Roy E. Groff, III, Project Superintendent for High Associates Ltd. Construction Services, was nominated to receive the Good Measure Award, not because of one isolated job or incident, but
They Give Good Measure . . .
rather for his repeated performance of high quality work and extraordinarily fast and excellent service on build-out projects. A typical timeline includes lease signing, submission and approval of drawings by East Lampeter Township, obtaining building permits, and only then can construction work begin, many times after 90 to 105 days have already passed. Tenants, unaware of these timing issues, are eager to get into their spaces promptly. Frequently faced with completing work on any number of build-outs in half the reasonable amount of time, Roy does his work quickly and efficiently, and always with a smile for the vendors, High co-workers, suppliers, but most importantly the tenants. Roy was nominated by Ruth M. Devenney.
Maureen E. Cruz, of the High Corporate Services LLC Safety and Health Department, was nominated for the Good Measure Award. At the end of September, High Concrete Group LLC was faced with a staff shortage in its Human Resources Department; consequently, there was an urgent need for assistance with the hourly recruiting in Denver. Maureen Cruz, through previous experience, was
familiar with the hourly recruiting process and it was determined that her bilingual capabilities would be a tremendous asset to the Human Resources Department in Denver. Despite the additional commuting time, changes to her work schedule, and adjustments necessary for her part-time job in the evenings, Maureen worked two or three days a week during October and November, 2007.
Pamela J. Fulmer and Jennifer J. Suydam, of the High Corporate Services LLC Organizational Development and Training Department, were nominated for the Good Measure Award. When
Maureen Cruz was working in Denver, Pam and Jen backfilled for her to help manage the day-today responsibilities in Safety and Health. During this time, fleet policy changes were being rolled out and there were an excessive number of Motor Vehicle Record requests. Pam and Jen quickly learned how to process the hundreds of requests and made the MVR updates in UltiPro. Additionally, they assisted with Maureen’s work so that it was not getting backed up when she was working in Denver. This meant adjusting home schedules to work extra hours and being flexible with last minute schedule changes. Pam, Jen and Maureen were nominated by Julie L. Keich.
A High Steel Structures Inc. co-worker incurred a hand injury when her glove caught on a piece of angle that she was rolling onto the roller tables and her thumb was pinched between the roller and the piece of angle.
Donald J. Richardson, Planner/ Expediter for High Steel Structures Inc., had an idea to create a hand tool that would “engineer out” the pinch point altogether. Don’s action to make this tool took place the same day the injury was reviewed at the daily Managing for Daily Improvement meeting. The tool allows the co-worker to grasp the angle and
Pam Fulmer, Maureen Cruz, and Jen Suydam.
They Give Good Measure . . .
then roll the angle solely with the tool, thereby eliminating the need for hands to be near the equipment. This tool is now used in other areas where angles are handled, such as the Miscellaneous Paint Bay. Don was nominated by Craig D. Thompson.
I know that you will want to join me in congratulating Bob, Roy, Maureen, Pam, Jen, and Don for exemplifying The High Philosophy and the true meaning of teamwork and customer service in their daily work!
Thank you, also, to those who were nominated, but were not selected this time, and to those who took the time to support the Good Measure Award Program by submitting worthy co-worker nominations.
In closing, I want to recognize the following Good Measure Award Committee Members, who have served so faithfully in receiving and reviewing Good Measure Award nominations throughout the year.
HIGH CORPORATE SERVICES LLC
Lisa A. Greener, Chair
Pamela J. Fulmer Jacqueline A. McConnell
Elaine A. Richard Julie D. Tritch
High Honors
THIGH CONCRETE GROUP LLC
Thomas M. McEvoy, Chair
Mark C. Aho Jeffrey A. Good
Gary C. Graziano Thomas A. Holmes
Parker S. Jones Douglas L. Lorah
Matthew J. Ohlinger David B. Schneider
Chambers H. Weikel
HIGH
REAL ESTATE GROUP LLC
Darryl P. Gordon David P. Hersey
Kim M. Long Michael J. Lorelli
Kelly L. Roeder Jennifer L. Soto
HIGH STEEL SERVICE CENTER LLC
Garry R. Adams, Chair
Colin Browne James E. Faus
Robert B. Reese Karen L. Tshudy
HIGH STEEL STRUCTURES INC.
M. Michelle McCann, Chair
Darryl P. Gordon Mark N. Hurd
George H. Nyer Henry F. Rittenhouse, III
James W. Shirk James W. Stoner
Janet E. Van Order
Thank you for your commitment to the Good Measure Award Program at High!
his column recognizes the ongoing awards, honors, education, and certification of co-workers. To include your honor, or to honor someone else, forward the pertinent information, within three months of completion, to Elaine Richard, High Corporate Services LLC.
F Company Spotlight: High Construction Company
ounded in 1978, High Construction Company (HCC) provides design-build, general contracting, and construction management services throughout the midAtlantic region of the United States. HCC specializes in the commercial, manufacturing, processing, distribution, education, and hospitality markets. HCC is an affiliate of High Real Estate Group, which also includes Greenfield Architects Ltd., High Associates Ltd., and High Investors Ltd.
When the team members were asked about their own history with HCC, their most recent challenges, or if they had any facts about HCC that co-workers may not be aware of, they offered the following comments.
Matt Twomey President
I have been with High Construction Company for two-and-a-half years and have found it extremely challenging and rewarding. When I first came into the organization, I knew only a few co-workers, and it was a tremendous learning experience to catch up on how the company had been operating during the previous few years, while trying to add some value at the same time. I recall the almost overwhelming amount of information that I tried to digest during the first few months. Our coworkers at HCC really provided great support as I only pretended to be in charge! Without the help of the team, I certainly would have struggled more to catch up.
I have watched our team succeed on many occasions in my short time here. We have succeeded on multiple challenging projects, including new endeavors in retail. We have also been recognized for our continued excellence in safety. In addition, we have been recognized by the subcontractor community for our excellence in project management, and as a construction organization.
With all that said, I am most proud of how our collection of co-workers has truly come together as a team. We, like many of the High® companies, are geographically challenged, which can inhibit the camaraderie that creates teamwork; however, that cannot be an excuse, and many people in the High organization have supported opportunities to encourage greater teamwork. Ultimately, it allows us to provide superior service to our clients, subcontractors, and the High Family, in a safe working atmosphere.
Michel Gibeault Vice President of Sales/Innovation
I have been with High 22 years.
A major accomplishment has been growing with the company from a small general contractor only doing work for our own account, to a company that, next year, will do about $70 million in sales - the majority being with outside accounts.
Moving from being an Architect to Vice President of Operations on the construction side, and then to Vice President of Sales/Innovation has been challenging. Another challenge would be the technological innovations that allow much faster communication of ideas and documents.
Major changes - we are much better working as a team on our linear process within our departments.
One of the best parts of my position is meeting new people and helping them see the possibilities of a new building. Taking the fear away is so rewarding.
I enjoyed the irony of a High Forum several years ago when a photographer fell off of a chair while trying to photograph the President’s Safety Award winners.
Deron Henise Director of Estimating and Purchasing
I started as Project Manager in the summer of 1998, left in the fall of 2000, and returned as
Company Spotlight: High Construction Company . . .
Project Manager during the summer of 2002. I was then promoted to Senior Project Manager, Manager of Estimating and Purchasing, and now serve as Director of Estimating and Purchasing.
Some of my accomplishments include personal milestone promotions, work in progress for developing and refining our processes and procedures, standard operating procedures, pre-award scoping meetings, and the clarifications and exclusions checklist.
Challenges we encounter are the unstable market conditions, material cost increases, and achieving competitive bids with complete project scope from subcontractors.
Kevin M. Miduri Director of Field Operations
I have been with High Construction Company since February 2007. I have overall responsibility for the direct field-based activities including self-performed work, coordination of subcontractors, schedule management, safety, and tools and equipment management.
An exciting innovative process that I have witnessed would be setting up a web-based on-line plan room
Although we will not always agree, the senior management team and the departments seem to have a better perspective on doing whatever it takes to achieve the common goal. That is a welcome change, along with the new senior manager experience in the last few months.
I enjoy growing in the new position with the help and support of Matt Twomey, the senior management team, and the Estimating group. The ability to utilize my work experience and leadership to educate and teach the younger and less experienced team members is rewarding.
A High memory that stands out would be that sometimes I am referred to as a retread, due to the fact that I left and came back to the organization.
Our achievements include the President’s Safety Award and General Contractor of the Year for 2007.
Keeping our field staff busy is sometimes a problem and not having enough staff is another. It comes in cycles. I prefer having the notenough-staff problem. That means we are busy!
What I like best about my job is the people connection. I like to study and understand people, search deep for those undiscovered or unwilling to share talents that people have, and then exploit them. I like seeing ordinary people perform extraordinary things. All the other stuff I just have to do. I get enjoyment watching people respond to motivation, mentoring, and opportunity.
Kari Semple
Administrative Supervisor
I started with High in August 1999 as Branch Manager of the Lemoyne office of High Employee Services, Ltd. (HESL) and moved to High Construction Company in December 2003. I am the Administrative Supervisor by title, as well as Office Manager for HCC by necessity. Coming from the staffing world to a whole new world of construction was a major
Bob Walsh, Matt Twomey, Michel Gibeault, Kari Semple, Kevin Miduri, and Deron Henise.
Company Spotlight: High Construction Company . . .
change. Many positive changes have occurred during my tenure with High, including an increase in administrative staff and cross-training to support work flow. I have revamped some procedures and started others that help keep a better handle on insurance, tracking of contracts, and tracking of accounts receivable.
Our organization has seen some changes with the entry of a new President, one of which is to celebrate our successes more and infuse some fun in with the hard work. I like the variety of my day, the autonomy, and the team with whom I work.
A memory that stands out most from my time at HESL was my first Christmas there. I, being the independent manager, decided our office needed a real Christmas tree. I found one, wrestled it into my SUV and then into the building. It was when I tried to put it into the stand that I discovered it had a spike to set the tree onto. Since the tree did not have a hole in the bottom for the spike, I decided to improvise. I went across the hall to our neighboring tenant, the West Shore Regional Police, and asked to borrow a hammer and a screwdriver. They offered help, but I, of course, refused. I did a wonderful job of creating a hole by hammering the screwdriver into the bottom of the tree. Only problem . . . I could not get the screwdriver out! I then had to go humbly across the hall and ask for help to remove the screwdriver from the tree. It took me quite a while to live that one down!
Bob Walsh
Vice President of Project Management I started at High in 1997 as a Senior Project Manager. In 2002, I became Director of Project Management, and then Vice President of Project Management in 2005.
In addition to completing some challenging projects in a Project Manager role, I am most
proud of the development of the current project management team at HCC. I have been blessed with a really talented staff of quick and committed learners. Each member of our team is able to make a lot happen every day on multiple projects, and they always want to find cleaner and more efficient ways to accomplish it.
The challenge on each major project is to manage 10 to 25 subcontractors, to secure the right materials and put them correctly in place so that the project is completed on time. This is accomplished by much hard work behind the scenes, but it needs to look very calm and controlled to the customer and could not be done without an experienced and dedicated staff.
Electronic communication has been the most fundamental change experienced by a project manager in the past ten years. When you are dealing with the Owner’s team, utility companies, other stakeholders, co-workers, and a huge team of subcontractors, this has been a great tool to enable much faster communication.
I love the tremendous variety in my current position. Working with Matt Twomey and the rest of our management team is great – we work well together and have fun in the process.
A High memory for me would be prior to coming to High, I worked as a project manager for a large national building contractor in Washington, DC. It was a busy environment and my wife wanted to return home to southcentral Pennsylvania. At my first interview, then-acting General Manager, Michel Gibeault, had his feet up on the desk without shoes. I thought that this was the kind of relaxed general contracting company that I was looking for! While it has, of course, turned out to be anything but, it is still a calm and professional environment that is conducive to productivity, improvement, and success.
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HCC Named General Contractor of the Year
High Construction Company (HCC) was honored with the “2007 General Contractor of the Year Award” presented by the American Subcontractors Association of Central Pennsylvania (ASACP). The presentation was held during the organization’s Tenth Annual Constructor Awards Gala on Saturday, March 15, 2008, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
“Our success is made possible through the support and craftsmanship of this region’s talented subcontractors; and we are honored to receive this prestigious award,” says Matt Twomey, HCC President. “This recognition underscores our company’s philosophy of building trustworthy relationships and strengthening our partnerships with suppliers. It also demonstrates the commitment of every co-worker to deliver those values in every project we do.”
ASACP’s awards program recognizes general contractors as they relate to subcontractors with criteria such as bidding fairness and ethics, equitable contract provisions, safety policies and practices,
payment practices, job supervision, scheduling, and subcontractor relations procedures.
Recently, the Vice President-Construction at Stanbery Development, the firm that builds high-end fashion Lifestyle Centers, sent a letter to Deron Henise of HCC regarding The Shoppes at Wyomissing. This letter further demonstrates why HCC was named General Contractor of the Year.
An excerpt from the letter reads: “We are very pleased that we chose High Construction Company to act as the General Contractor on this project. Like most retail development projects, there are inherent delays and changes that can cause some major challenges for the GC and supporting subcontractors to work around and maintain the schedule. The Shoppes at Wyomissing, a 103,000 square-foot center, was no exception. High Construction Company stepped up when necessary to ‘make it happen’.” He continued, “Rest assured, we are looking forward to working with High Construction Company on our future projects.”
Thank you to the entire High Construction Company team for going that extra mile, and congratulations on this prestigious achievement!
Safety Comes First
Year 2007 marks the 20th anniversary for the President’s Safety Award at High®. Because the High companies are so focused on safety, the competition for this award can be intense. First, we will recognize the President’s Circle members – the top ten
The ASACP “General Contractor of the Year Award”, presented to High Construction Company.
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High locations for safety determined by a combination of accident statistics and Corporate Safety Audit performance.
Headed by Julie Keich, Director, the Safety and Health Department conducted a Safety Summit on February 27, 2008, where each of the President’s Circle contenders gave a presentation about their safety program.
Picking a winner from such an exceptional group was difficult.
President’s Circle members: Service and Support
High Associates Ltd. –Bentley Ridge Apartments
Hampton Inn – Harrisburg West
Hampton Inn – Middletown, New York
Hampton Inn – York
Homewood Suites – Harrisburg West
President’s Circle members:
Manufacturing/Construction
High Concrete Group – Denver
High Construction Company
High Steel Structures Inc.–Field Operations
High Steel Structures Inc.– Lancaster
High Steel Structures Inc.– Williamsport
Congratulations to all of the President’s Circle members. The safety program presentations were truly inspiring.
Dedication, energy, and passion about safety were obvious and it is also demonstrated by the results.
2007 President’s Award winner: Service and Support
Hampton Inn – Harrisburg West
With innovative “Safety Commandments” and an injury-free streak of more than 1,000 days, members of the Hampton Inn – Harrisburg West team have achieved safety success through their recipe of attitude and ownership.
2007 President’s Award winner:
Manufacturing/Construction
High Construction Company
Posting only one OSHA Recordable incident in January and one in February of 2007 and no OSHA recordable incident
Brian Reichert, Matt Twomey, and Kevin Miduri of High Construction Company with the 2007 President’s Award in the Manufacturing/ Construction category.
David Jacobs and Laura Goyette, Hampton InnHarrisburg West, with the 2007 President’s Award in the Service and Support category.
The HCC team with Julie Keich (center of bench).
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since then, HCC has managed to engage every co-worker in furthering the safety endeavors of the company and finish the year with the least number of OSHA recordable incidents since 1998.
Congratulations to each of the 2007 President’s Circle members and the President’s Safety Award Winners. This year, we are off to a great start in safety –let us make it our mission to strive for continued success.
All In The Family
Carpenter Technology Corporation in Reading, Pennsylvania, is expanding its facility. And several High® companies are involved in the process. The expansion required a few large girders that the contracted fabricator was not equipped to handle. That is when High Steel Structures Inc. was contacted.
The three beams were fabricated in the Lancaster plant and weighed between 46,000 pounds and 78,000 pounds each. The largest beam was 7.5 feet wide and 67.5 feet long. Delivery of the girders to the job site was done by High Transit LLC.
While the expansion process is in full swing, safety is a priority. Mark
DiStefano, High Safety Consulting Services Ltd., is the on-site Safety Design Engineer. Mark ensures that all safety procedures are closely followed and provides safety information for the design of a healthy environment.
Great team work!
Steel Prices on the Rise
Steel prices began to increase in September 2007. It was a slow start to the rapid escalation that would follow.
Michael Elliott, Purchasing Manager, and Mark Ditzler, Senior Buyer, at High Steel Service Center LLC (HSSCL) know this all too well. They offer insight to the recent dramatic price increases.
The 2008 New Year rang in the new era of steel where prices are clearly determined by world demand and not by demand here in the United States. The last time that we saw rapid and dramatic price increases was back in 2004 when demand was strong. Prices reached record high levels. While increases were driven by strong domestic demand, the world demand was also coming into play. In 2008, there are some market segments where the demand for steel is strong, such as military armor plate, wind energy, rail car construction, and heavy construction equipment, but the majority of the steel market in the United States is not experiencing strong demand from the domestic manufacturing side.
Slow domestic demand and shortages at the same time?
Emerging economies like China and India, are experiencing growth that is outpacing their ability to produce steel. As a result, such countries need to find other
One of the beams fabricated by HSSI for this project is being hoisted in place.
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sources to meet their steel needs, and the weak U.S. dollar makes steel produced in the United States more attractive in foreign currency. This results in domesticallyproduced steel being exported.
Steel producers now look at the world market as a sales territory to be managed. Productivity can be maximized by filling capacity with export tonnage. This exporting comes when there is little or no import steel arriving in the United States. The historical 20-30 percent import tonnage is being shipped to other countries leaving those tons for our domestic mills to produce. The world demand outweighs our domestic soft demand and the economic model continues to work at the world demand level, resulting in increased prices.
Raw materials shortage in the world market.
The strong world demand for steel requires iron ore, scrap, and coke as raw material inputs. The price is being driven up by this world demand and the weak dollar making the United States scrap attractive. In 2008, contracts for iron ore have increased 65 percent over the 2007 costs. Spot prices are even higher. Scrap prices are 25 percent higher than they were at their 2004 peak levels!
Consolidation.
Another contributing factor to the rising steel pricing is the consolidation that has taken place in the steel industry. A smaller number of producers means that there is less of a chance that a producer will be in need of orders and lower prices to get the business. The raw material supply chain is seeing consolidation as well, as the domestic producers scramble to secure availability. They are buying the raw material suppliers. The biggest example is that Nucor Steel purchased J. Joseph Scrap Company, which was its
long-term supplier. They can now prevent that scrap from shipping over seas to foreign producers.
Energy and freight add their share. Rising energy and fuel costs are also contributing to higher priced steel. Not only are the producers incurring higher energy costs to produce steel, but freight costs to ship material into mills, and to ship out finished product, are skyrocketing. Most steel manufacturers have added fuel surcharges to their freight bills. Current freight surcharges are over 31 percent.
For HSSCL, we are seeing these rising prices first hand. All of our product lines have seen multiple price increases since the beginning of the year. HSSCL continues to manage through the volatility of the market through well-timed purchases and inventory build-up to protect the availability of steel for our loyal customer base.
Doug Lorah Named PCI Fellow
The Precast Concrete Institute (PCI) does not name just anyone a PCI Fellow. It is a prestigious title bestowed only on a chosen few.
Douglas L. Lorah, Vice President of Technology and Business Development for High Concrete Group (HCG) in Denver, Pennsylvania, was recently named PCI Fellow. Doug has been with High® for over 40 years and is currently a member of the PCI Student Education, Productivity, and Research and Development Committees. He served as the first chair of
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the Productivity Committee and also as chair of the Architectural Precast Concrete and Standard Connections for Architectural Precast Concrete Committees. Doug was also a member of the Board of Directors from 1991 to 1992 and also served on the Architectural Precast Association Board of Directors.
The Fellows Award honors current or former PCI Members for outstanding achievements in the precast prestressed concrete industry, as well as for their significant contributions to the mission of PCI. Candidates for the award must be, or have been, either employees of Producer or Associate Producer Member firms, Professional or Affiliate Members, or retired PCI staff members. Candidates must have been active in one or more of these membership categories for at least ten years to be considered.
Congratulations, Doug, on receiving this honor!
HHL Continues
Exemplary
Service
The Courtyard by Marriott in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recently received six awards from Marriott International, Inc., for exemplary customer service during the annual conference held in Anaheim, California. Included was the prestigious Chairman’s Award for achieving the highest overall guest satisfaction score from among the more than 750 Courtyard hotels nationwide.
In addition to the Chairman’s Award, the hotel once again received the Platinum Circle Award for highest guest satisfaction and outstanding inspections, and the Brand Champion Award for best
representing the “essence” of the Courtyard brand. The hotel team also earned awards for highest guest satisfaction scores in the areas of room cleanliness, maintenance and upkeep, and staff service.
The Marriott International, Inc. Gold Award winner for outstanding customer service in 2007, is the Courtyard by MarriottMiddletown, New York (shown in the photo below). Recognized from among more than 750 Courtyard hotels nationwide, the Middletown Courtyard by Marriott was selected based on an overall satisfaction rating determined from guest survey scores and unannounced property inspections.
Congratulations to both Courtyard by Marriott Teams!
Chris Shellhammer (left), General Manager, Courtyard by Marriott - Lancaster, accepting the Chairman’s Award from Brian King, Regional Vice President, Marriott International.
High Earns Spirit of Lancaster Award
High® was recognized with the “Spirit of Lancaster Award” by United Way. This is United Way’s highest tribute for a company’s community involvement. The award honors exceptional commitment and investment by businesses or organizations and their employees. Honorees exemplify a caring spirit, commitment to the community, and exceptional campaign results.
This honor is a result of High co-workers’ efforts to improve the quality of life in the communities in which we live and work. The number of contributors from High increased 33 percent from last year and we exceeded our contribution goal.
Thank you, and congratulations!
Habitat for Humanity Honors High with Award
High® was recognized with the “Friend of Habitat Award” at Lancaster Area Habitat for Humanity’s annual celebration dinner held on April 8, 2008. While a number of awards were distributed to volunteers and staff, this was the only award presented to a company who has partnered with Habitat in the last year. Specifically mentioned in the comments was not only High’s financial commitment, but also our efforts to involve the entire organization in responding to the need for more affordable housing here in our
community, as well as the support and expertise of High Construction Company in the early stages of the project on South Queen Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. High is sponsoring two of the four townhomes being built at this location.
A special thanks goes out to everyone involved in this project. Your energy and commitment are valued as we continue the journey to reach our goal this summer of providing two homes for two very worthy families.
High Supports Lancaster Science Factory
We are fortunate to be able to support, in several ways, the exciting new Lancaster Science Factory on New Holland Avenue in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The hands-on, interactive technology and science center, which received financial support from The High Foundation, is housed in an old factory building at Urban Place, a revitalization project in the former Kerr Factory complex.
Our own High Associates Ltd. provided brokerage assistance in helping identify just the right building for the project, which offers dozens of exciting exhibits relating to the physical sciences, engineering, technology, and mathematics.
Additionally, High Hotels Ltd. provided very gently used carpet for the facility, and High Steel Structures Inc. (HSSI) created an 800-pound exhibit. It consists of a three-foot section of beam that replicates the scale of the actual beams used in the ceiling of the building.
A truss bridge-building contest, currently in the planning stage for the Factory, will involve bridge components designed in partnership with the team at HSSI. The aluminum components will be fabricated in miniature so they can be easily handled by the children participating in the contest.
See www.lancastersciencefactory.com for more information about the center, including hours and directions.
Co-workers Participate in Race Against Racism
The Race Against Racism draws together members of our community who strive to eliminate racism and attain a common vision: peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all people. This event raises funds for anti-racism education, including a variety of
programs for businesses seeking to diversify their workforce, create a culture of inclusion, or address other issues pertaining to race and diversity.
The Tenth Annual Race Against Racism was held Saturday, April 26, 2008, in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania, hosted by the YWCA. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., over 40 High® co-workers and family members participated in this 3.1 mile race. At least six High companies were represented; High Associates Ltd., High Construction Company, High Corporate Services LLC, High Safety Consulting Services Ltd., High Steel Service Center LLC, and High Steel Structures Inc. Attendees walked, jogged, and ran through the course.
High co-workers who participated in this event were able to fulfill #9 and #11 of the 2008 High Wellness Challenge. Thank you to all of the participants, and to Michelle McCann for organizing this event for our coworkers.
