The State of Family Business and Family Business Education
Introduced by Christine & Russ
Mike Mitchell, Executive Director, High Center at Etown College
The State of Family Business and Family Business Education
In 1995, a group of business people, family business owners, and representatives of Elizabethtown College, came together to fill a recognized need. With family businesses comprising the backbone of our economy, strengthening entrepreneurial families has a great impact on the community. The S. Dale High Center for Family Business is proud to be one of the largest and oldest centers in the country.
The High Center serves over 180 member companies, facilitates 28 CEO and Key Executive Peer groups. Under the leadership of Executive Director Mike Mitchell and Director of Member Services Len Kopec, the center has continued to build on the founding principles Dale High set forth 25 years ago. By serving and strengthening family and privately held businesses through succession planning, leadership training and legacy building, the High Center is now able to provide membership opportunities for all of South Central Pennsylvania.
The center is proudly delivering the top business speakers in the country to share their message to local business owners and executive teams. Our peer group program is helping more than 200 executives gain a competitive edge in today’s competitive business environment.
Mike Mitchell is the Executive Director of The High Center at Elizabethtown College. Prior to joining the High Center, he was an owner of Amelia’s Grocery Outlets and served as President and CEO of the company from 1997- 2012. He oversaw all aspects of the 15 store grocery chain and a 100,000 square foot warehouse in Leola Pennsylvania. Mike, his father, Melvin, and his brother-in-law Jeff, grew the business and expanded the concept from a couple of small Weaver Chicken Outlets into a full line grocery outlet chain. The business was sold to a private equity firm, Berkshire Partners and Grocery Outlet Inc., a 442 store chain based in Berkley, California, in January 2012.
Mitchell is a graduate of Elizabethtown College and has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Prior to joining Amelia’s in 1996, he worked as a Marketing Manager for several packaged goods companies including Heinz, General Mills, and Unilever. He has served in several board positions with the Boys and Girls Club, the Lititz Rec Center and several other for profit and non-profit organizations. Michael was the 2010 Lancaster Chamber Small Business Person of the Year and a 2019 Central Penn Most Admired CEO.