LANCASTER, PA — Karen Biondolillo has been named Chief Financial Officer for The High Companies (High), a group of family-owned businesses and one of Central Pennsylvania’s largest employers.

Biondolillo takes responsibility for corporate finance, accounting, tax and information technology departments and joins the executive committee, which provides strategic leadership to High. She succeeds Mike Van Belle, who has been CFO since 2005 and recently announced his retirement. Biondolillo joined High in 2006.

"I want to thank Mike Van Belle for his decades of service to the High organization and congratulate him on a well-deserved retirement,” said Mike Shirk, CEO of High. “Mike was instrumental in helping to prepare Karen for this very important responsibility.”

“We enter this transition from a position of strength, with solid control of our businesses and clear strategies to invest in growth and our co-workers,” Shirk said. “I and the entire High leadership team are excited for Karen and look forward to working with her to move us forward even more.”

In her most recent position, she was Vice President and Controller of High Industries Inc., which includes affiliates High Steel Structures LLC, High Concrete Group LLC, High Steel Service Center LLC, High Transit LLC, High Structural Erectors LLC, High Construction Company and Greenfield Architects Ltd.

Previously she served as Vice President and Controller of High Real Estate Group LLC and its affiliates High Associates Ltd., High Hotels, Ltd. and High Environmental Safety & Consulting Ltd. A graduate of Elizabethtown College, Biondolillo began her career in public accounting with Arthur Andersen.