George & Lynch recently marked its centennial by honoring employees past and present
“I know there are early mornings, long commutes, and late nights. This is our chance to say thank you – to generations of employees – for rising to meet the challenge,” said Chris Baker, CEO.
“I hope you find the work as rewarding as it is challenging. This day would not have come without the skill, efforts, and dedication of our employees across multiple eras,” Baker said. “One hundred years is a significant number – few companies in the U.S. survive that long, let alone thrive – and the team truly deserves the credit for our continued success.”
In 2021, the company began its transition to an employee stock ownership plan, which will reward employees loyal to George & Lynch for decades and provide long-term retirement benefits for all current employees.
George & Lynch was acquired by Richard Appleby Sr. and Jos. Pennington Sr. in the 1950s. Appleby and his sons Dick Jr. and Bob owned the company after Pennington’s passing. The company’s work in that era included utility work such as underground telephone infrastructure, roads and bridges including Del. 1 south of Dover and Maryland Route 90, supported by sand mining and hot mix production. The company was headquartered in New Castle for many before moving to Dover.
“Many folks of my generation and the retirees here today were hired or worked for Dick and Bob Appleby,” Baker said. “They instilled the values and culture that are still present at George & Lynch today.”
Later leadership after the Applebys included Will Robinson Jr., who steered the company into the 21stcentury with expanded technology and alternative contracting, and Dennis Dinger, who managed through the recession and added another hot mix asphalt plant.
George & Lynch focused its early work on road construction and continues in that area. In its first few decades, it also built military parade grounds, airport runways, and the track at Delaware Park. Today, George & Lynch has also added site work for subdivisions, commercial projects, and industrial sites, including installing underground utilities.
The company has won awards for its construction, safety record, and diversity-inclusion from industry groups including Associated Builders and Contractors and the Delaware Contractors Association.
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.
