It’s a conversation that Dalton and Shae Hanrahan had many times.
Catching up with the happenings of the day — sibling pleasantries they had shared since they were young.
The brother and sister have been close for as long as they can remember. Best friends since childhood, they’ve continued to find ways to connect and help one another out.
“He’s someone that I very much look up to,” Shae said.
Then their video call shifted to discussing business. Shae is the operations manager at Dalton’s company, High Precision Underground in Hillsdale, Illinois.
The next fiber optic installs for their crews were top of mind for them both. Keeping their team supported, having the right equipment, seeing where Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding was at — it all came up in one way or another.
Until the alarms started going off in Dalton’s background. He had to go.
Drones were flying in.
From solider to business owner
Dalton Hanrahan, 29, knew he wanted to serve in the United States military from a young age.
“My family has a long history of service,” Dalton said. “Grandparents, my mom, cousins, you name it.”
The hard work ethic passed through the Hanrahan family became clear as Dalton graduated from Riverdale High School in Port Byron, Illinois, in 2015. He started to work as a laborer for a local underground utility company in western Illinois, using Vermeer horizontal directional drills and connecting with the team at his local Vermeer dealership, Vermeer Midwest.
At the same time, he enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard and headed overseas for his first deployment in 2020.
Dalton said his unit provided security at the base in Qatar for 11 months.
“There was a bit of downtime,” he said.
He used that time, as he lived a boyhood goal of serving his country, to start on another dream.
“I had two large competing passions,” Dalton said. “Entrepreneurship and the military. The Iowa National Guard had opportunities for me to pursue both.”
When time allowed in Qatar, Dalton studied business, finance, really anything to help prepare him to be ready when a business opportunity presented itself.
And when he got home, it did — large-scale fiber optic installations.
Starting High Precision Underground, backed by family
Using his new knowledge of business, discipline from the military and relationships with the team at Vermeer Midwest, Dalton started High Precision Underground Feb. 8, 2022.
“Dalton’s a very driven individual,” said Andy Van Soelen, territory manager at Vermeer Midwest. “He came in to meet with me to go over his plan to do drop fiber installs.”
They discussed the needs of the business and took a deep dive, discovering what equipment made sense for the new company.
Dalton soon got to work, set with a plow/trencher and utility locator.
And not long after, his sister came aboard too.
Shae handled some of the administrative work when the first big projects were coming in.
“The opportunity came up for an operations manager, and I wanted to help him out,” Shae said. “We’ve been best friends since I can remember. Whatever his goals are, we’re going to work to make his goals come true and grow as a family.”
Family inspired Dalton’s passion for the military and the culture he wanted for the business.
“We like to keep it that family atmosphere and very professional,” Dalton said.
It’s also one of the things he respects about Vermeer — a company also operating with a brother and sister duo at the helm, with Jason Andringa as CEO and Mindi Vanden Bosch as vice president of operations.
“Their family-oriented atmosphere, how successful they’ve been and how much they care about their customers is something that was really, really cool to see,” Dalton said.
Dalton credits the systems, processes and leadership skills learned through his service with the Iowa National Guard as a contributing factor to his company’s initial success.
“We prepare for no-fail things in the military, which apply directly to how we run things at High Precision Underground,” Dalton said.
When it comes to fiber installations, his team knows there is no room for error and prepare with that in mind. Even when those preparations include video calls from a combat zone.
High pressure for High Precision Underground
High Precision Underground started changing in early 2025. Dalton’s business partner left to pursue other opportunities.
“My dad came and helped out because he’s retired, and Shae upped her administrative role,” he said.
Not only was the crew changing, but Dalton’s passions of entrepreneurship and the military were about to collide again.
His regiment of the Iowa National Guard was set for deployment to Syria in May 2025 — a combat zone, vastly different from his first deployment to Qatar. According to the Des Moines Register, the deployment was “part of the U.S. military’s mission to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.”
Dalton’s service was set to be up in March. Should he reenlist to go? What would happen to the business if he was overseas?
But when he learned more about the mission, his dedication to service and commitment to his fellow guardsmen simplified the decision.
“I knew I had to go,” he said.
As an infantry scout squad leader, Dalton had led his reconnaissance platoon for two years. He felt a duty to see that leadership through — this deployment is what they trained for.
While he prepared to lead his military family in combat, he had to prepare his family at High Precision Underground for success.
At that time, it was just Dalton and his dad on the crew with Shae managing the operations from the office.
“We made the bold move to expand,” Dalton said. “We bought a D20x22 (horizontal directional drill) and I was fortunate enough, right before I left for deployment to hire some of my really close friends that I used to work with from various different companies. They ran operations in the field while my sister did everything in the rear.”
That is, Shae stepped into being the interim CEO of High Precision Underground. “That’s what allowed me to focus on my work overseas,” Dalton said.
He also gave a heads up about the temporary company changes to the team at Vermeer Midwest. Knowing his company was supported, Dalton set off in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
“It just gives him peace of mind — you’ve got support while you’re gone,” Van Soelen said. “You’ve got your sister and dad helping you. And you’ve got Vermeer Midwest behind you just down the road.”
Leading from opposite sides of the world
Shae admits at first the prospect of stepping in as interim CEO was “super daunting,” but she accepted the duty to support her brother.
“It was an honor to keep the business running while he was gone,” Shae said. “He’s worked so incredibly hard to get the business where it was.”
Shae focused on lining up jobs to keep the crew and company running. Meanwhile, her dad handled maintenance of the machines.
Overseas, Dalton continued to strategize with his sister. Equipped with a Starlink® router and Signal® app for video calls, he remained connected to the High Precision Underground team when his mission allowed.
“I’m very thankful that we had enough opportunities to communicate with each other, especially for big decisions,” Shae said.
Their bold move to expand the crew before Dalton left paid off. The expertise of the crews in the field allowed Shae to focus on the future in the office. –
“I couldn’t have done it without them,” Shae said.
Nor could she have done it without the support from the team at Vermeer Midwest.
“They were always so kind and helpful,” she said.
These caring qualities are the foundation of what Dalton describes as the “symbiotic relationship” between High Precision Underground and Vermeer Midwest.
“I know my values are your values and vice versa,” he said. “It’s something that keeps me on Team Vermeer.”
Preparing for the future with Vermeer
As Dalton prepared to return from deployment, he made a video call to someone who’s always supported High Precision Underground — his local Vermeer dealer, Andy Van Soelen.
They talked about the future of the company. Dalton had two crews running and projects backed by BEAD funding beginning work in Illinois. So, he was thinking about his equipment needs before he was even back on United States soil.
“It’s pretty surreal to be talking to you about wanting to buy a plow,” Van Soelen said, laughing.
Dalton would be home soon — ready to keep growing his company with the team that has supported his dreams.
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