The Highlands Company

What The Highlands Company does

The Highlands Company is a privately held career assessment and coaching firm founded in 1992 and headquartered in Larchmont, New York. Its core product is the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB), a standardized online aptitude assessment consisting of 19 timed virtual worksamples that measure natural abilities based on observed performance rather than self-reporting. The HAB is built on the century-long research of scientist Johnson O'Connor and is integrated into the firm's trademarked "Whole Person Technology" methodology (registered May 2001), which combines eight factors—abilities, skills, interests, personal style, family history, values, goals, and career development stage—into a holistic career guidance framework. The firm markets three core reports (the Standard Report, the Career Exploration Supplement aligned to U.S. Department of Labor O*NET data, and the Leader Report for executives), along with a downstream 8-session "Don't Waste Your Talent" coaching program that produces a Personal Vision Statement.

The Highlands Company does not sell directly to end consumers. Instead, it distributes exclusively through a global network of Highlands Certified Consultants (HCCs)—career coaches, psychologists, counselors, HR professionals, educators, and faith-based leaders—who undergo 16 hours of initial training and obtain ongoing professional development accredited for 32 hours of International Coach Federation continuing education credits. Each consultant administers the HAB, delivers the mandatory 2-hour debrief session, and sets their own pricing for assessments and coaching. The firm also engages directly with enterprises and educational institutions for bespoke leadership development and professional development programs; named clients include BlackRock, Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, the CDC, the United States Naval Academy, the University of Georgia, and Stony Brook School. The company employs 11-50 people, has served tens of thousands of individuals since 1992, and operates across at least the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia through its certified consultant channel.

Name

The Highlands Company

Legal name

The Highlands Company

Website

https://highlandsco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Highlands Company is a privately held career assessment firm founded in 1992 that administers the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB), a 19-worksample aptitude test, and related coaching programs through a global network of certified consultants serving individuals, students, and organizational clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Larchmont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) Assessment: Revenue generated through the sale of the HAB assessment administered by certified consultants. The assessment includes 19 virtual worksamples and generates customized reports. Pricing is determined by individual consultants.
2. Don't Waste Your Talent Coaching Program: An 8-session coaching program following HAB completion, guided by a Highlands Certified Consultant. Includes online self-paced assignments and personal vision statement creation. Pricing set by individual consultants.
3. Consultant Certification Training: Revenue from training programs that certify professionals to administer the HAB. Includes 16 hours of initial training on the Whole Person Method, with continuing education credits (32 hours ICF accredited).
4. Organizational Professional Development: Customized leadership and professional development programs for organizations using the HAB-Leader Report, including group programs, leadership team development, and organizational talent development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Highlands Company sells the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB), a 19-worksample online aptitude assessment measuring natural abilities through timed performance exercises, accompanied by 30+ page customized reports (Standard Report, Career Exploration Supplement, Leader Report) and a mandatory 2-hour debrief session conducted by a Highlands Certified Consultant. Downstream, it offers the 8-session Don't Waste Your Talent coaching program built on the trademarked Whole Person Methodology, and upstream, it sells a Highlands Certification Training program that licenses practitioners to administer the HAB.

Product overview

The Highlands Company offers a suite of career assessment and coaching products centered on the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB), a standardized online aptitude assessment of 19 virtual worksamples measuring natural abilities through timed performance. The core assessment produces three report products: the Highlands Standard Report (30+ page individual profile), the Career Exploration Supplement (interactive career recommendations linked to ONET Online), and the Leader Report (for executives). These reports are delivered alongside a mandatory 2-hour debrief with a Highlands Certified Consultant. Upstream of the assessment, the company offers a Certification Training program for consultants. Downstream, the Don't Waste Your Talent coaching program (8 sessions) uses the HAB results as input for the Whole Person Model to produce a Personal Vision and Career Vision Statement. The company was founded in 1992 and traces its methodology to Johnson O'Connor's human engineering research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Highlands Ability Battery (HAB): A human assessment tool that objectively measures natural abilities through 19 virtual worksamples, serving as the foundation of the Highlands Whole Person Model for career assessment and development.
• Whole Person Technology
• Don't Waste Your Talent Coaching Program
• Whole Person Model

Quantifiable outcome

• Tens of thousands of individuals have been served since 1992
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stony Brook SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership where the HAB has been integrated into the school's culture with focus on four areas: college counseling, student life, learning support, and counseling and wellness. Consultants Sue Seel and Amy Tietjen facilitate the program.
• University of GeorgiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Dori Stiles, Ph.D. to empower UGA veterinary students to choose the right specialty through the HAB assessment and career exploration supplement.
• Georgia School Superintendents AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSSA programs including Superintendent Professional Development Program (SPDP) and District Office Professional Development Program (DOPDP) use the HAB for leadership development. Participants include aspiring superintendents and current district office leaders.
• United States Naval AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram designed by Colonel Arthur J. Athens, USMCR (Ret.) to provide career guidance and leadership development using the HAB.
• Douglas County School SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCSS leadership development program including system leadership retreat with 50 participants including principals and central office leaders. Professional development directors Dr. Michelle Ruble, Dr. Rhonda Baldwin, and Mrs. Kenya Elder participated in Highlands Certification Training.
• Divine Mercy UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDMU's School of Counseling career development course prepares counselors to apply a whole person framework using the HAB in practice, integrating career, calling, and human flourishing.
• VOCA CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC-based organization that equips individuals to find and follow their workplace calling. Dr. Chip Roper serves as Executive Director since 2014, using the HAB to serve a broad range of individuals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Myers-Briggs Company: Publishes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the most widely used personality/career assessment. Closest direct competitor to the HAB in terms of practitioner-delivered, instrument-based career and leadership assessment.
• Gallup: Sells CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder), an assessment-based talent development tool used by individuals and enterprises. Competes directly with the HAB and HAB-Leader Report in the strengths-and-career-fit category.
• Hogan Assessments: Provides personality assessments (Hogan Personality Inventory, HDS, MVPI) widely used for leadership development and executive selection. Direct peer in the performance-based assessment plus consultant-delivered debrief model.
• Wiley (Everything DiSC): Sells the Everything DiSC suite of behavioral assessments used for workplace development, leadership, and sales. Directly comparable practitioner-delivered assessment tool with similar B2B and individual segments.
• SHL: Global provider of psychometric and talent assessments used for hiring and development. Competes with the HAB in the enterprise aptitude and leadership assessment category, with stronger technology platform integrations.
• Caliper (Caliper Profile): Provides the Caliper Profile, a trait-based assessment used for hiring, development, and succession planning. Comparable practitioner-delivered assessment focused on behavioral and motivational traits relevant to job fit.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a major assessment and leadership development practice. Sells competency-based assessments and broader talent management services that overlap with the Highlands Company organizational offering.
• Center for Creative Leadership: Established leadership development organization delivering assessments, feedback, and programs to executives. Comparable to Highlands' organizational leadership practice but with a much broader portfolio and global brand.

Emerging players

• Pymetrics: AI-driven behavioral assessment platform used for hiring and talent development. Emerging rival that challenges the traditional worksample model with shorter, game-based, software-delivered assessments.
• Traitify: Visual, mobile-first personality assessment platform for employers and educators. Targets the same career-exploration and talent-development segments as Highlands with a fundamentally different (digital, self-serve) delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/highlandsco
• Xx.com/highlandsco
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheHighlandsCompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-highlands-company-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Highlands Company