James D. Oliver,
President & Chairman of the Board of Directors

Company President and Founder James Oliver was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia where he attended E.C. Glass High School graduating with an Honors Degree in the spring of 1988. In the fall of the same year he enrolled at Radford University and started a full time job which he maintained throughout college working as a restaurant manager and bartender to help pay for the cost of school. James graduated in 1994 with a BS Degree in Political Science.

While in school James was heavily involved with the Political Science Society and with a partisan student political association. He was also politically active working both as paid staffer and a volunteer on behalf of several Local, State, and Federal candidates. After graduation, James started his own political consulting firm and continued his work with candidates seeking elective office.In 1995 James had the opportunity to meet a local Builder in the New River Valley, who was looking for an office manager for his growing company.  In 1998 he was promoted to General Manager and in 2002 he was promoted to Executive Vice President in charge of all company operations. During his 9 year tenure and under his tutelage the company went from an annual sales volume of $500,000.00 to over 6 million often averaging over a net 10% profit.

In 1999, with the help and encouragement of his employer, James became a licensed Class A Contractor in the Commonwealth of Virginia and started Highlander Construction & Development LLC for the purposes of limited speculative and investment property construction. In 2001 James also became a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2005 James pursued the growth and expansion of Highlander Construction & Development. In 2007 Highlander Construction converted from a Limited Liability Company to an S Corporation.

James has twice served as President of the New River Valley Home Builder’s Association and recently completed a term as Region I Vice President of the Home Builder’s Association of Virginia. In 2011, James was appointed to the Virginia Board for Contractors by the Governor of Virginia. In 2013, James was voted to serve as Vice Chairman of the Board. James is happily married to wife, Donna. They have one child, David Samuel, and an eccentric but endearing dog named Juda. James is an avid fan of the Virginia Tech Hokies, the Miami Dolphins, and the New York Mets. He enjoys a range of outdoor activities including golf, water and snow skiing, camping, and sailing. He also loves movies quoting from them often much to the chagrin of family members, employees, and associates.

As President of the company James’s responsibilities include implementation of the company business plan; developing organizational structure; recruiting, training, and evaluating key staff; establishing and monitoring quality standards and procedures; managing operations, and strategic planning.

Eric Sealander,
Superintendent and Site Inspector

Superintendent & Site Inspector, Eric Sealander, hails from Branchville, New Jersey. He graduated from High Point Regional High School in 1988 and attended Widener University in Chester, PA and Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey studying math and engineering.In 1990, Eric relocated to Virginia with his future wife Kathy who was attending Virginia Tech. Eric took a job as a baker and began making custom furniture in his spare time. As the demand for his custom woodworking grew, he founded E & K Cabinetry in 1998.

In 2007 while working as a trim carpenter, Eric met James Oliver and began working with Highlander Construction and Development on jobs ranging from small bathroom remodels to multi-million dollar commercial projects.When Eric is not woodworking, he spends his free time enjoying his two children’s various sporting events and working with their scout troops. Eric and his family reside in the historic district of Pulaski.