Heavy-highway contracting firm George & Lynch is celebrating its centennial this year.
“This is a rare achievement among businesses, and it’s a testament to the continued dedication and vision of our employee-owners,” said President and CEO Chris Baker. “Every George & Lynch team member over the last 100 years has helped make us what we are today – a trusted, reliable, and industry-leading partner for Delmarva businesses and government.”
Founded in 1923, the company focused its early work on road construction. In its first few decades, it also built military parade grounds, airport runways, and the horse-racing track at Delaware Park. George & Lynch has added site work for subdivisions, commercial projects, and industrial sites, including installing underground utilities.
“We have grown with Delmarva as we have built Delmarva, putting our best work into creating the infrastructure that makes our region run,” Baker said.”
The World War II watchtowers at Fort Miles along the Delaware coastline are a particular point of pride for the firm.
George & Lynch launched by the eponymous founders – Hyland George and John Lynch – in the same year that the Hollywood sign was erected, the original Yankee Stadium opened, and the Walt Disney Company was launched.
The company was sold in the 1950s to Richard M Appleby and Joseph C Pennington, whose families were involved in the business for several decades. In 1994, it was sold to a small group of employees. And in 2022, George & Lynch became an employee-owned company through an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP.
The company was based for many years in New Castle, but had a larger presence south of the canal.
“Not many companies last this long, let alone thriving like George & Lynch has,” said Leonard J. Brooks, vice president of business development and administrative services. “We are a diverse company with several long-term employees. That’s a sign that we know what we’re doing and that this is a great place to work.”
In addition to its Dover headquarters, the firm has a second location in Gumboro and is a partner in three asphalt plants, in Dover, Dagsboro, and Delmar. Those locations help give George & Lynch a regional reach, with the ability to quickly deploy its crews to any corner of the peninsula.
