Community Interest
Reach High: Stories of Leadership | S. Dale High
As Chair Emeritus of High companies and Chair of High Foundation's Board, Dale believes in his guiding principle of a Higher Purpose.
For as long as he can remember, S. Dale High has been an optimist. His early childhood was shaped by his family’s value of hard work, sparking a propensity to not just believe in positive change, but to work toward it.
At just 17 years of age, he approached his father with a vision to grow High Welding Company by adding a second shift.
“I thought, ‘Well, it works in a lot of other places. Why not here?’” Dale said.
That outlook was the driver for new innovation at High, but it was Dale’s tenacity and creative problem solving that led the new shift work to thrive by the end of the summer.
“I really learned it’s not a lone pilgrimage,” he shared. “It’s how you bring people in, form a team, create a shared vision—some of those early experiences at the company helped to shape my thinking as a future leader.”
Four years later, Dale joined the family business full-time after graduating from Elizabethtown College. That same year in 1963, High began expanding into other industries with the addition of High Realty Company. High Concrete Structures followed in 1977, the same year Dale was named Chairman, President, and CEO of High Industries Inc.
As High continued to expand its presence and impact in Lancaster and beyond, Dale’s leadership instilled a shared sense of curiosity, empathy, and justice that remains a steady foundation throughout every level of High.
In 2022, Dale took his guiding principle of a Higher Purpose to new heights when he announced the transfer of his ownership of High Industries to High Foundation, resulting in millions of dollars of profits being invested by the Foundation in Lancaster and other places where High operates.
This decision solidified Dale’s innovative vision to sustain his legacy of using business and philanthropy to contribute to the greater good of the community.
“I’m by nature an empath,” he shared. “When I see suffering and injustice, it outrages me. And there’s that optimistic voice that says, ‘We can do something about this. We can figure out a better way.’”
Dale’s hope for the future is that Lancaster continues to be a welcoming community, embracing work that creates paths where everyone can be successful.
“I am so pleased to see the level of collaboration and vision in Lancaster. I want to see us come together even more, in good times as well as challenging times, to be an increasingly compassionate community.”
– S. Dale High
As for future leaders, Dale stresses the importance of finding supportive peers—the heart behind the founding of The High Center at Elizabethtown College—as well as the courage to take risks.
“I invite us all to think about creating more vibrancy,” he said. “From our economy to our culture to our sense of place, there is so much further we can go.”
Read more about The High Philosophy at high.net and highfoundation.org.
The Reach High series introduces you to business and nonprofit leaders who are thoughtfully innovating with a spirit of servant leadership. Brought to you by High Foundation, you can find out more about their mission to be a Bridge to Opportunity for the Lancaster community at highfoundation.org.
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