Pictured from left to right Thomas White, President and Jeffrey Towle, Chief Operating Officer
Photo by Tiny Clicks Photography
On its 100th Anniversary, R.H. White Companies, a general contractor and water utility management company, announced the promotion of Thomas White, fourth-generation family member and long-time employee, to President of the company. Additionally, Jeff Towle has been promoted from Vice President Operations to Chief Operating Officer (COO). Both promotions are effective May 1, 2023. Both promotions are consistent with the company’s objective of planned transitions to ensure continued successful sustainable growth of the organization.
Thomas H. White, President
Tom White, who worked with the company in the field throughout his youth, began his full-time career as an Assistant Project Manager in the Building Construction Division and has held positions of increasing responsibility including Project Manager in the Mechanical Construction Division, and then Project Manager in the Utility Construction Division which included the oversight and management of a $56 million, three-year major gas main expansion and installation on Cape Cod. Upon completion of the Cape project, Tom was named Manager of the company’s Construction Services Division (CSD) where he was responsible for safety, strategy, customer service, business development, operations, and execution, as well as profit and loss for the business unit. CSD also supports the company’s three contract construction divisions with labor and resources while responding to emergency work – 24/7/365.
“Tom has been an essential part of our team for many years, and his management of CSD for three years has garnered outstanding results. Under his leadership, the division grew safely and profitably, and he landed several ideal clients for our organization. I know that positive trend will continue, and Tom will bring that momentum to his new position to further benefit the entire organization as he plays an integral part in our overall business generation efforts,” stated Jim McCarthy, R.H. White CEO.
As the new President, Tom’s primary focus will be to grow the entire organization, with particular emphasis on the private sector. Additionally, he will continue to develop his leadership skills as he works closely with the CEO and CFO to gain experience on the corporate support and business side of R.H. White.
Tom earned a BS in Construction Management from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA and has continued his studies with a certificate program from the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago.
Jeffrey M. Towle, Chief Operating Officer
Jeff Towle, came to R.H. White in 2019 as Vice President of Operations responsible for the day-to-day management of the company’s five business units – building construction, mechanical construction, utility construction, construction services and the company’s water utility management division, WhiteWater, Inc.
Prior to R.H. White, Jeff spent more than 25 years in the mechanical, utility and building construction trades where he served in positions of increasing responsibility, including high-level leadership roles at Cianbro Corporation and Northeast Utilities (aka Eversource).
“Jeff has been and an essential part of our leadership team, successfully maintaining safe quality service to our customers throughout the COVID pandemic and over the last year positioning the company for sustainable growth. We are confident that he is the right person for the job as we grow the company and transition to the next generation of leaders,” McCarthy said.
As the new COO, Jeff will take on more responsibility for achieving a zero-incident safety record year over year, sustainably growing the company, and consistently achieving the operational plan objectives set by the company.
Jeff earned his B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University.
Both Tom and Jeff will report directly to Jim McCarthy.
