The Exuberant Accountant - Scott Heintzelman

Bookstores are filled with books sharing the “secrets” of success in the business world, many praising strategy as the key factor. Steve Proctor argues otherwise. He claims a healthy culture molded by great leadership will overpower strategy every time and why he is next in a long line of Servant Leaders to be profiled on this blog. 

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Steve, President and CEO of Presbyterian Senior Living (PSL) of Camp Hill, PA. He was elected to the position in 1995 after joining the organization in 1971. 

Although the organization has had a strong culture of leadership for many years, it wasn’t until about seven years ago when the organization went through a merger that it had to define its culture on paper. PSL didn’t want to force new employees to simply soak up the culture through osmosis. 

The same principle applies for new hires today. Each quarter the organization conducts a leader orientation over the course of a few days. The first few hours are dedicated to leadership culture.  New leaders in the organization understand that they will be held to this standard by those around them. If their behavior does not measure up to the expectations articulated in the organization’s culture, it will stick out like a sore thumb. 

George Wolfe truly has a heart for the community. George has been the Manager of Lower Paxton Township, a community of 47,000 residents in the greater Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area, since 1990 and Manager of the Township’s Authority since 1995.

He began his career as a Planner but made the switch to Manager when he realized that his desire to have a greater impact on the community could be better accomplished with the new position. George’s strive to improve the community around him is the reason I decided to write about him for my ongoing series of profiling Servant Leaders. 

George understands the need for government and community to work together in order to accomplish community growth. He wants the community to understand that the Township is there for the people. Though difficult to engage everyone in a community of this size, George and his coworkers do their best to educate the residents about possible opportunities to get involved.

In my continuing series of profiling Servant Leaders, I wanted to write about my friend Gary Langmuir, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wohlsen Construction Company since 1990. Gary is an ideal example of a servant leader as he views his role as owner and leader of Wohlsen Construction Company as one of a steward, to assure that the company thrives so the legacy of the company and its values continue for future generations.

Founded in 1890 and recognized as one of the leading construction firms in the Mid-Atlantic States, Wohlsen Construction Company provides general construction, construction management, design/build, and facilities services to customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey. 

Something few people know about Gary is that he started his career in Public Accounting and was a CPA (something I particularly love about him). He was assigned Wohlsen Construction as a client and fell in love with the company. In 1980, he went to work for Wohlsen and eventually purchased the company from the Wohlsen family.

In Harrisburg and the surrounding communities, many know William Alexander as a man who gives most of his time serving others and giving back to the community.  In his work and community activities, both past and present, you will recognize that not only is he a servant leader, but he has been one for a very long time.

Bill and his family have a rich history working with many organizations within the Harrisburg area. He is past Campaign Chair and Board Chair of the United Way of the Capital Region, past Chair of the Capital Region Chamber, and cofounder and past Chair of CREDC.

Deb Pierson, President and CEO of Pierson Computing Connection, Inc. (PCCi), is known throughout the community not only for her years of technical support and project management services to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but also for her accomplishments, service to the community, and her business’ success through nontraditional avenues – a true example of a Servant Leader.

PCCi is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise headquartered in Mechanicsburg and positioned in the Harrisburg Regional Technology Corridor Enterprise Zone. The 40-member PCCi team is dedicated to providing computer services with unsurpassed quality, uncommon honesty, and amazing customer satisfaction throughout every aspect of project management, consulting, installation services, and data cabling.

Furmano Foods continues to be a company known for its delicious tomatoes and one with exceptional service. The company’s recipe for success includes ingredients like honesty, integrity, and quality, but the secret ingredient in the Furmano formula is its people. Continuing in my series of Servant Leaders, an individual that I am excited to write about is David Geise, President and C.E.O. of Furmano Foods.

Family owned for four generations, Furmano's roots run deep in the heart of Pennsylvania's farmland in which David Geise’s grandfather began canning tomatoes in 1921. As David recalls, “Ever since he took his first tomatoes to market, the Furmano's brand has been synonymous with superior quality, great tasting tomatoes. We've come a long way from the days when he and my grandmother used a family recipe to prepare the tomatoes in a copper kettle on their kitchen stove. But, we've never strayed from the high standards that my grandfather, J.W. Furman set. We're proud of that.” Today, Furmano’s has become the largest family-owned tomato processor in the eastern United States.

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Dale High, chairman of Lancaster County's High Companies and founder of the S. Dale High Center for Family Business at Elizabethtown College. As we talked, I was amazed at what Dale has done within both the business world and the community. I am honored to highlight him as part of my continuing series of Servant Leaders.

The High Companies offer a broad range of exceptional manufacturing, real estate, construction, and business services and products to companies and is widely recognized for its reputation in customer service, quality products and services, personal and corporate integrity, and beauty in projects affecting the environment.