State of the Real Estate Market in Lancaster County
Introduced by Christine Sable
Mark Fitzgerald and Rod Messick
State of the Real Estate Market in Lancaster County
Mark Fitzgerald is President and Chief Operating Officer of High Real Estate Group LLC and High Associates Ltd. Through strategic acquisitions, development, and joint ventures, the High Real Estate Group portfolio as grown to more than 10 million square feet and includes commercial, industrial, retail, multi-family residential properties, and hotels located throughout the Eastern United States.
Having begun his real estate career in the Philadelphia area in 1985, Mr. Fitzgerald joined the High organization in 1989 as the Commercial Property Manager at High Associates. In 1991 he was promoted to Vice President of Commercial Asset Management and, in 1996, to Senior Vice President of Asset Management. He assumed the role of High Associates' Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in August 2001 and President and Chief Operating Officer in July 2004. He was promoted to his current position in July of 2012.
Mr. Fitzgerald holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Pennsylvania Real Estate Salespersons License. He earned the Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and Certified Property Manager (CPM) designations.
Active in business and community activities through his leadership roles in various associations and organizations, Mr. Fitzgerald serves on the Board of the Fulton Theatre. His past service includes serving as a Loaned Executive to United Way; Leadership Lancaster; Finance Committee Chairperson for PA Dutch Council Boy Scouts of America; and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Schreiber Pediatric Rehab Center of Lancaster County.
Mr. Fitzgerald is a member of Lancaster County Association of Realtors, Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, National Association of Securities Dealers, and the Institute of Real Estate Management.
J. Rodney Messick is Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. The 48-year-old Messick, who joined the firm in 2004, if from Lancaster. Most recently he was chief financial officer.
Messick holds a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s degree from University of Pennsylvania. After leaving active duty as a Naval Officer and completing his graduate program at the University of Pennsylvania, Rod Messick had several offers to join Fortune 500 companies in management development programs. Instead, he took an opportunity to come to Lancaster, Pa., to work in a startup national bank whose focus was mortgage banking.
Messick began as a mortgage loan officer and went on to work on an M&A project before joining what would become Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty in 2004. Today, he serves as CEO of the full-service real estate firm.