Michael Baker Corporation (Baker) was founded in 1940 by Michael Baker Jr., and quickly attained recognition as a premiere engineering design and survey firm through superior project performance for the U.S. military, preceding World War II.
From the 1950s through the mid-1970s, Baker’s reputation as a premiere provider of professional engineering services continued to grow along with the size of the business. The Company became publicly traded on the American Stock Exchange in 1968. Following the death of the founder in 1977 and a corporate restructuring in 1984, Company ownership shifted to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The 1980s and early-1990s saw Baker once again proactively expanding its range of services primarily through the acquisition of construction and operations and maintenance services firms.
By the late-1990s, Baker had overcome a number of adversities that had impacted its profitability and focus on its core businesses. A series of divestitures during this period and a consolidation of core competencies helped the Company resurrect its position in both the engineering and energy markets it served. Since 2000, the Company has continued to perform well in its core markets. Its ENR rankings continue to be measured in the top 10% of all U.S. engineering design firms. Baker has endured its share of challenges, but has also continued to grow and prosper, without losing site of its primary purpose: Creating value by delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for infrastructure and the environment.