Highlander Partners, a leading private investment firm with over $2 billion of assets under management, announced the founding of High Point Aerotechnologies LLC (“High Point” or “High Point Aerotech”). High Point is a holding company formed to pursue the rapidly evolving C-UAS industry through the acquisition and development of established operating companies, emerging technologies, and industry experts. Jim Gavrilis has been recruited to lead High Point as President and CEO. He brings a diverse and distinguished background from military, business, and academia, with extensive expertise in electronic warfare and UAS technology.
Jim is a former U.S. Army officer with over 24 years of experience in command and staff. He has served overseas in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East in training, peacekeeping, and combat operations, including two tours in Iraq commanding and directing joint, interagency, and multinational counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. Throughout his career, Jim served in the 25th Infantry Division, the 3rd and 5th Special Forces Groups, USASOC, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Army Staff’s Special Operations Division.
After retiring from the Army, Jim held senior level positions with several private sector defense contractors. He has served as Vice President for Special Operations Programs, Chief of Staff, and Director of Strategic Initiatives in a variety of Defense and Intelligence companies. He has also served as Senior Advisor to the Center for Naval Analyses, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and USSOCOM. In academia, Jim has taught graduate courses at Georgetown University and George Washington University, and has taught at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute.
Jim Gavrilis remarked: “I am extremely excited to take the helm at High Point and work alongside Highlander. We are committed to supporting the defense of our nation against this evolving threat and will remain mission focused on developing needed capabilities for the U.S. and our Allies. With the right team and targeted acquisitions, we have a significant opportunity to create a leadership position in the dynamic C-UAS market. We are in the process of recruiting subject matter experts to join the High Point team, and we intend to analyze both mature businesses and developing technologies for potential acquisition.”
“We have been highly focused on exploring the C-UAS arena,” commented Ben Slater, Partner at Highlander. “The industry is young, fragmented and has remarkable growth potential. Our objective is to build a substantial C-UAS platform, and the establishment of High Point demonstrates Highlander’s dedication to this effort. In this nascent industry built on emerging technology, deep and practical expertise is a requisite and Jim is the perfect leader for this undertaking.”