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Harlem John High, known affectionately as Johnny, began his construction career in New York City as a brick mason working on the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. After visiting the small town of Orlando, he felt the area had great promise for growth and moved there in 1935. He worked as a brick mason and in 1936 decided to begin his own masonry business. He developed an excellent reputation and worked on many large construction projects in Central Florida. In 1955 he established H. J. High Construction Company at 1015 West Amelia St., Orlando. During the early years he participated in many competitively bid projects, including numerous schools for the Orange County School Board, church facilities for the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine, hospitals and other associated buildings. In 1961 the company began work at Cape Kennedy in preparation for the Apollo moon-landing program. For seven years H. J. High Construction Company participated in a hectic work program at the Cape and was awarded one of the only two Awards of Merit issued by the Corps of Engineers for work excellence. In 1968 Johnny High died of a sudden heart attack. His son, 24-year-old Steven W. High, then assumed the presidency of the company. In 1972 H. J. High was selected to build the $60 million main campus for Florida Hospital in Orlando. Thus H. J. High became the first construction company to use construction management in Central Florida. In 1980 H. J. High recognized the desire on the part of sophisticated owners for design/build services. Today construction management, design/build and general contracting are the core services offered by H. J. High Construction. In 1999 Steve’s son Robert John High joined the company, marking the third generation to lead H. J. High, and was appointed President of H. J. High in 2006. In 2001, Bart Sontag was appointed Vice President of H. J. High.

Since 1936, H. J. High has been a leader in the construction industry. Focusing on projects that enhance the community, H. J. High has built some of the most iconic buildings in Central Florida including The City of Orlando Police Headquarters, First Baptist Orlando, WESH Channel 2 Television Studios and the Walt Disney World Casting Center. Dedicated to "Doing the Right Thing," H. J. High is proud to have never been in litigation with a client throughout their entire history. This is because they always put the client first and understand that success is built on relationships. Now in their third generation of family leadership, H. J. High is poised to continue its history of creating purposeful, community enhancing projects and building relationships well into the future.