Steve Gilbert has 25+ years of experience leading high-performing teams and preparing operations for scale. He has proven expertise in strategy development, M&A integration, organizational design, and operational excellence.
Steve received an S.M. in management and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds a B.M.E. from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and daughter. Steve’s hobbies include cooking, traveling, golfing, and seeing live music. He also contributes to the Leadership Council of the Epiphany ministry at the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta.
As Director of Data Analytics, Ben is the primary point of contact across all Brands for all things Power BI. He is responsible for ensuring all data is accurate and is presented in a consumable format, as well as establishing consistent reporting across all Brands.
Ben has 7+ years experience working as a Data Analyst in many different industries, and has continually improved his skillset to increase what he has to offer. Everywhere he has worked Ben has increased the consumption of data by leadership, enabling them to make informed decisions that best support the growth of the business.
Ben graduated from Appalachian State University with a BS in Mathematics and currently lives in Eugene OR. In his free time Ben enjoys listening to audiobooks, playing with his dog, or biking.
As President of Mitigation at HighGround, Patrick Kinsella leads all aspects of the company’s growth. He is responsible for partnering with the HighGround family of brands in all areas of marketing, business development, sales, and strategic planning to drive targeted revenue growth and customer delight.
Patrick has 20+ years of experience leading high-performing teams in publicly traded and privately held firms and brings his proven expertise in creating value through launching new service offerings, driving commercial excellence, and developing leaders to the HighGround family of brands.
Patrick graduated from Cornell University and holds an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and daughter, with whom he enjoys spending time outdoors. He also enjoys his time given to the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra, an organization that serves the youth music community of Greater Atlanta.
Matt Sands is a Senior Vice President of Operations at HighGround and the President of Dry Force. In this role he is responsible for a portfolio of brands working with local leadership to enable growth and operational execution.
Matt has over two decades of industry leadership and played a significant role in the development of the overall HighGround platform and its go to market and acquisition strategy. He has been an active participant in RIA and is active member in Restoration Affiliates and has a great affinity for this industry and the ability that we have to help others.
Matt resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife Beth. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his 4 kids, Rangers baseball, live music, and restoring classic cars.
La’Toya Evans is the Director of the Contact Center for HighGround. She has 16 years of Customer Service Operational Management for shareholder services, retention, client engagement, workforce management, sales and staff development. La’Toya is dedicated to the HighGround family of brands and Call Center Operations providing “”Best in Class Service”” to our customers.
La’Toya has two fur-children who she absolutely adores. Because of her fascination with water, she enjoys taking long walks on the beach, waterfront and piers. She has a special appreciation for nature, the sun, trees, eco system and all the benefits they contribute to daily living. La’Toya often dedicates her time supporting others by providing words of encouragement through letter writing, reminding others of their uniqueness and individual gifts.
Serclean, based in Athens, Georgia, has established itself as a leader in the water damage restoration industry over the last decade. Servicing Athens and the greater Atlanta metro area, Serclean offers a range of specialized services including water extraction, mold remediation, fire damage restoration, and reconstruction. Serclean is known for utilizing state-of-the-art resources and practices, ensuring tasks are completed with exceptional care and craftsmanship. Whether it’s dealing with the aftermath of water damage, addressing mold concerns, or restoring properties affected by fire, Serclean’s team of professionals is ready to provide top-notch services tailored to their clients’ unique situations.
Griffin Brand is the Vice President of Corporate Development at HighGround. He focuses on connecting with founders and other industry leaders, facilitating the due diligence process, and executing acquisitions to help grow the HighGround family of brands. He is passionate about partnering with talented founders to preserve their legacy and accelerate the growth of their company.
Prior to joining HighGround, Griffin worked in Real Estate Private Equity as the Director of Investor Relations for Wellings Capital. He began his career spending 8 years as an Army Ranger, deploying multiple times throughout Europe and Afghanistan.
Griffin holds a Bachelor’s degree from Davidson College where he played football, was in Army ROTC, and was the President of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He resides in Raleigh, NC with his wife, and their young son. Griffin enjoys traveling, staying active through fitness, playing pickleball whenever he gets the chance, and spending time with his family.
As the HR Generalist at HighGround, Anjana focuses on taking care of the brands’ needs. She primarily handles the HRIS platform, ADP Workforce Now, and provides assistance across different modules including benefits, time & attendance, time off / vacation, compliance, reporting and analytics and general troubleshooting.
Anjana graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resources Management. Since then, she has worked across industries like Beauty, Consulting, IT, Insurance etc. as an HR Generalist or a Recruiter with proven success. She got into this field because she is passionate about ensuring job satisfaction for all employees by supporting them from an HR lens. She enjoys solving complex problems for unique challenges that arise in the workplace and uses every situation as a learning opportunity as well.
Apart from working, you can find Anjana on the phone with her family overseas or out with her friends in Dallas. She loves spending time at her apartment cooking, watching tv, singing, playing different instruments and sometimes even doing voiceovers for Indian advertisements and movies.
Cassidy is the Chief of Staff at HighGround, supporting overall planning and communication across the platform and brands. She is the central coordinator for company-wide strategic initiatives and she works across the organization to drive operational excellence.
Previously, Cassidy worked for a low voltage accessory manufacturer that specializes in cable management products. Under her leadership as President, the company launched several patented products, the capabilities of the team increased, and growth was achieved amid challenges such as tariffs and Covid.
Cassidy is a proud alum of Florida State University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science Education and a Master’s in Instructional Systems. She also holds an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Cassidy loves to travel and is an avid reader and lifelong learner. She and her husband live in Atlanta with their two young sons.
As the Vice President of Digital Marketing at HighGround, Brian provides strategic leadership and management for digital marketing initiatives including lead generation, customer acquisition, paid search, SEO, and social media marketing for our family of brands, in addition to supervising all website management components.
With 10 years of experience spanning eCommerce, Hospitality, Retail, and Payment Solution industries, Brian brings a successful track record of driving customer and revenue growth across various marketing channels, while increasing online visibility.
Brian graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a MBA and a Masters of Science in Marketing Analytics. He received his B.B.A in Marketing from the University of North Texas. In his free time, Brian enjoys spending time with his family and his two young sons. He also enjoys traveling, remaining active through fitness, fishing and watching the Philadelphia Eagles.
Superior Restoration, headquartered in Lake Elsinore, California, was founded in 2010 and services the southern California market. The company has established itself as a leader in the restoration industry with its comprehensive service offerings, along with its unwavering dedication to quality and customer satisfaction. With history spanning over a decade, Superior Restoration has consistently demonstrated excellence in water damage restoration, mold remediation, fire damage repair, and other related services.
Amy is the Assistant Controller at Highground providing support to all companies in the Highground portfolio with day-to-day accounting issues, Treasury and month-end close.
Amy comes from the solid waste industry where she started as an Admin in the sales department working with all departments to provide premier services to customers. The last 10 years she was part of the Controller team and focused on managing all aspects of accounting for multiple locations including but not limited to forecasting, budgeting, month-end close, internal controls, and working with leadership teams to find cost and operational efficiencies. Over the last 18 years she’s been through multiple acquisitions/mergers and has experience with ERP system changes and upgrades.
Amy graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Science in Accounting – Management and Entrepreneurial. Amy and her family live in McKinney where her 2 children are finishing high school and starting college. With the newly found free time due to the now older children she enjoys spending time with friends and family and time outdoors and enjoying her backyard.
Allphase Roofing & Restoration has been a market leader within the restoration industry since 2010. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Allphase specializes in water damage restoration, fire damage restoration, mold remediation, roofing, and reconstruction. With coverage throughout central Ohio, Allphase provides 24/7 emergency services for homeowners, property managers, commercial properties, and more.
Ryan is the Vice President of Corporate Development at HighGround and focuses on sourcing, diligence, and execution of acquisitions to help grow the HighGround family of brands. He has significant experience working with founders and entrepreneurs during the sale process and appreciates the opportunity to help continue the founders’ legacy and work together to make their strategic visions a reality as part of a platform.
Prior to joining HighGround, Ryan worked in Private Equity as a Senior Associate with Princeton Equity Group and as an Associate with American Infrastructure Funds. Ryan began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst with Morgan Stanley’s Natural Resource Group and holds a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.
Ryan resides in Dallas and enjoys spending time with his wife and their golden retriever, Buddy. Ryan is from Colorado originally, and still is a fan of the Denver Broncos & Nuggets; although, after living in Austin, Houston, and now Dallas, he has become a fan of Texas sports and spends time watching the Longhorns and Cowboys as well.
Headquartered in Post Falls, ID, Allklean is a premier emergency restoration company with a comprehensive range of services including water damage restoration, mold remediation, carpet cleaning, and more. For 22 years Allklean has provided services for homeowners, insurance agents, property management companies, and commercial property owners in the Greater Spokane, WA, and Coeur d’Alene, ID region.
Expert Water Removal is a leading property damage restoration company in West Florida, with headquarters in Bradenton, FL. The company provides emergency property damage restoration for property management, home builders, insurance carriers, HVAC companies, plumbers, and residential and commercial property owners throughout the Tampa Bay area, Sarasota, and Ft. Meyers. Expert Water Removal specializes in water damage restoration, mold remediation, and fire damage restoration, with a dedicated team that is available 24/7.
Rocky Mountain Restoration is a leading property damage restoration company that has serviced the Phoenix metro area for over 12 years. Services include 24/7 emergency water damage restoration, mold remediation, fire and smoke damage restoration, and trauma and biohazard cleanup for homeowners and businesses alike. With a commitment to great communication and doing what’s right, Rocky Mountain Restoration’s mission is to prove that when it comes to restoring homes and businesses, no one in Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, or the surrounding area cares more than they do.
PureDry Restoration, headquartered in Snohomish, Washington, is a full-service restoration company that has serviced the Greater Seattle area since 2016. PureDry provides 24/7 emergency restoration services include water damage restoration, mold remediation, fire damage restoration and dry out reconstruction services.
Monika Jensen is the Recruiting Manager at HighGround. Monika oversees all recruitment for the brands and works with each brand to implement best practices to efficiently grow the business.
Monika went to a local community college for Business Administration and started off in Human Resources. In her 12 years of experience, she has shifted her focus to Recruitment with proven success. She has worked with several start-up companies helping them create recruitment processes, manage the hiring and onboarding procedures, and review the analytics to achieve growth and expansion in each business across multiple industries.
When Monika’s not working, she has an active 11 year old son that keeps her busy. Monika is bilingual with fluency in American Sign Language and is an active part of the Deaf community. In her free time she likes to spend time with family, explore the outdoors, painting, and doing crafts or home projects.
Same Day Restoration has been a leader within the restoration industry for 15 years. With locations in San Diego and Orange County, Same Day Restoration provides 24/7 emergency water damage restoration, mold remediation, fire damage restoration, and reconstruction services for Homeowners, HOA managers, Commercial and Residential Property Managers, Insurance agents and adjusters throughout Southern California.
Wendell is the Controller at Highground providing support to all portfolio companies with day-to-day accounting issues, Treasury, month-end close and system implementation.
Wendell is an experienced Finance & Accounting professional with a demonstrated history of working with entrepreneurial led companies in the financial services, building materials and healthcare industry. He has strong business experience skilled in helping drive strategy, Month-End Close, Budgeting, Reporting and Operations as well as experience with sell/buy side due diligence, CIM development and operating under private equity ownership.
Wendell graduated from Midwestern State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. Wendell and his wife live in Northlake, Texas where they enjoy spending time with their three children. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors as well as watching Manchester United and the Dallas Cowboys.
Ben Balsley is the Chief Executive Officer of HighGround Restoration Group. He oversees all of the company’s business activities while focusing on strategy, M&A, and overall growth and serves on its Board of Directors.
Ben has a 25-year track record of building and leading teams and creating value in both private and publicly-traded organizations. Over the past ten years, he has been focused on growing multiple private-equity owned companies as a CEO, board member, and advisor.
As Chief Technology Office, Paul Craft leads the overall IT infrastructure and strategy at HighGround. He is responsible for evaluating, integrating, and supporting new and existing systems across the portfolio of businesses.
Paul has over 20 years of experience in IT, most of that time as one of the founders of HighGround’s platform company. As a previous founder, Paul oversaw staying at the forefront of technology in the restoration space. As a result, a significant focus has always been on developing and improving process efficiency through technology.
Paul enjoys spending time with his wife and three teenagers. When he’s not working, he can usually research new software and how best to implement them into our operations.
As the Director of Human Resources, Sandi oversees all Human Resource needs for all of our brands. She provides support, continuity and efficiencies that create best practices, retention and provide an exceptional employee experience.
Sandi brings over 20 years of human resource experience and has worked for several corporate, manufacturing and start-up companies. Creating a Human Resource Department from the ground up is her specialty. A graduate of Robert Morris University, Sandi started her career in Hospitality Management. Sandi’s love for service and people landed her a role in Human Resources and she has never looked back.
Sandi enjoys spending time with her husband, two girls and a handful of life long friends. She is passionate about cooking and entertaining along with traveling, taking long walks and biking.
Peter Delich is the Chief Financial Officer at HighGround. Peter is responsible for overseeing all financial aspects of the company, which include oversight of accounting, tax, risk management, credit, and human resources.
With 20 years of experience in private, public, and private equity companies, Peter brings a track record of building high-performing teams that create value through continuous process improvement and collaboration. Peter graduated from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Peter enjoys family activities with his wife and two children, often chasing after their four dogs. A lifelong musician, he enjoys attending live performances with his family as often as possible. He also enjoys hiking, fishing, and spending time in the beauty of the mountains.
As Chief Information and Integration Officer, Prasun Chakraborty leads HighGround’s acquisition integration and data analytics strategy. He is responsible for integrating the company’s existing and acquired businesses across processes and technology. Prasun’s focus areas include profitability improvement strategies that are centric on continuous process improvement, systems integration, and actionable business analytics.
He has over 20 years of experience in multi-national corporations across mortgages, retail banking, technology products, and financial services operations, and brings in proven expertise to build, scale, optimize, and transform businesses.
Prasun graduated from National Institute of Technology, Warangal (India), and earned his B. Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering with Distinction. He received his MBA from NMIMS University, Mumbai (India). Prasun resides in Atlanta, GA, with his wife and their teenage boy. In his free time, he enjoys solving puzzles with his son and traveling with his family.
Serving the Central New Jersey area, Northeast Power Dry’s expert team provides water damage restoration services for homeowners and commercial property owners. With a highly-trained team of experts, Northeast Power Dry has been committed to providing high-quality water remediation through cutting-edge equipment.
For over 40 years, DriRite has served as the premier one-stop property restoration company for the greater Tampa area. With services spanning water damage restoration, mold remediation, and property restoration, DriRite’s dedicated team provides quick and efficient solutions that help consumers get their property back to its pre-loss condition.
Serving as the first company in Kansas City to specialize in water removal and drying services, Power Dry has been a pillar in the sewage and water removal industry of Missouri and Kansas for over 30 years. With promises to serve customers in their time of need, implement industry-standard pricing, enforce health and safety protocols, and perform jobs accurately and efficiently, Power Dry’s team is backed by a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.
Dry Force is one of the largest and most trusted water damage restoration brands throughout the state of Texas. For nearly 20 years, Dry Force has provided water damage restoration, reconstruction, and mold remediation services across Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and beyond. With IICRC-certified water removal experts and the industry’s most advanced technology, Dry Force remains dedicated to going above and beyond for each customer and their respective restoration project.
More Floods is a member-based organization for independent restorers aimed to help water damage businesses grow and succeed. They do this through unlimited support, training, and marketing and operations systems.
With locations throughout Idaho, Cleanup & Total Restoration is a dedicated provider of mitigation, construction, and personal property restoration services. With core values that focus on serving people, communication, quality service, integrity, and corporate stewardship, CTR stands as the standard-bearer of the restoration industry within the communities of Idaho and Eastern Oregon.
As HighGround’s Chief Operating Officer, Matt Sands supports growth and operational execution across the entire portfolio of HighGround brands. He partners with brand leadership to develop and execute opportunities for sharing best practices and expertise across the HighGround family.
Matt brings over 20 years of restoration experience to the company, having started his career as a water technician and advancing to Chief Operating Officer of Dry Force, LLC prior to joining HighGround.