Stephen Hightower, CEO of Hightowers Petroleum Company and Hightower EV Solutions, has been invited to the White House by President Biden and Vice President Harris to attend the Communities in Action: Building a Better Ohio event set for next week.
The half-day forum will be held in-person at the White House and will highlight the Administration’s federal investments and the impact on communities across Ohio, the invitation said.
Hightower said he is excited to tell Washington about the economic possibilities for Butler County as well as how the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act affects the business community.
“Ohio will continue to be one of the nation’s leaders in the expansion of electric vehicle manufacturing and infrastructure. Here at Hightowers, we continue to make investments in renewable fuels, carbon reduction and offering EV solutions to our customers,” said Stephen Hightower.
The bi-partisian Inflation Reduction Act offers Ohioans expanded tax credits for energy efficient commercial buildings, new energy efficient homes, and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.
“Our customers like GM, Ford, Nissan, FedEx, UPS and so many others are starting to make tremendous investments in Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs),” added Hightower.
Hightower EV Solutions is a national developer, technology integrator, and design builder of turnkey EV charging infrastructure projects. With the ability to execute projects throughout the United States, Hightower EV can provide enterprise level solutions.
Beyond the service and product offerings at Hightower EV solutions, Hightowers Petroleum Company recently announced their 100% renewable diesel partnership with NESTE. The renewable diesel is a high-quality, high-performance fuel, a more sustainable alternative to fossil diesel, helping its users reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75%* when emissions over the fuel’s life cycle are compared with fossil diesel.
“With Neste MY Renewable Diesel, companies can reduce their climate emissions significantly in an instant by just changing the fuel. It is chemically identical to fossil diesel, and works seamlessly with existing diesel engines,” said Stephen Hightower.
Business is not the only thing that matters to the Hightower family. The family’s roots run deep in Middletown, Ohio.
The Robert Sonny Hill Community Center in Middletown is a place where three generations of Hightowers grew up. The revitalization of the Community Center is now a main focus for not only the Hightower family but also for the City of Middletown.
The project received $4 million from the Middletown City Schools for a preschool in the building, $2 million from the city of Middletown and $1.5 million from Butler County Board of Commissioners.
Marlon Styles, Jr., Middletown City Schools Superintendent, said a preschool campus at the center will allow “greater access to high-quality programming” and will prepare more children for “a successful educational journey.”
Since the district is partnering with the city and the county with American Rescue Plan Act funds, Styles said the district has “a rare opportunity” to give the community a family-friendly facility where children of all ages can have fun in a safe environment.
The Butler County Commissioners received the ARPA dollars from the federal government and allowed community organizations to apply for funding.
“Our vision to achieve the most benefit of the ARPA funds to the people of Butler County was to restore the lost education from the pandemic and prepare our residents for the emerging industries being created for the future,” said Butler County Commissioner TC Rogers.
Another beneficiary of the ARPA funds is the local career technical school- Butler Tech.
Butler Tech will receive $15 million through American Rescue Plan funding to create a workforce pipeline to advanced aviation and manufacturing. The plan includes an expanded facility at the Middletown Regional Airport.
Workforce predictions indicate that:
● 47% of U.S. jobs could be phased out in the future because of technological advances.
● 65% of high school students are predicted to work in jobs that don’t yet exist.
● 75% of the companies that are expected to be in the top 500 by 2027 haven’t yet been established.
“It’s really a remarkable opportunity to be an economic catalyst for the county,” said Jon Graft, Butler Tech Superintendent/CEO.
Hightower’s vision to bring education, technology and a comprehensive all-inclusive energy ecosystem, is made possible by the Administration’s policies to deliver funds to Ohio.
Stephen Hightower actively serves on the board for the National Petroleum Council, The Fuels Institute, The Electrical Vehicle Council and API.
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