And the company is continuing to display growth by building its new headquarters northwest of the four-way stop by the Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites.

“We just outgrew the current facility and we wanted to expand,” Baker said. “We thought it would be an excellent location for us.”

He added, “With the speculation of more growth at Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation, we thought it was a win-win.”

Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation is an ag industrial park west of Fort Dodge.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Work continues on Baker Electric’s new headquarters northwest of the four-way stop by Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites. Kolacia Construction, of Fort Dodge, is the general contractor for the project.

Baker and his wife, Amanda Baker, are the owners of Baker Electric. Its headquarters are currently located at 22638 Old US Highway 169.

The new facility will encompass about 10,000 square feet. It will house offices, power tools and other electrical equipment.

“There will be offices on the main floor and upstairs,” Baker said.

Ball Plumbing, of Fort Dodge, will also be located at the new facility, according to Baker.

Baker used to be an electrician for Pella Windows in Story City. But when that company closed in about 2007, Baker needed to find something else.

That’s when Baker Electric began.

“When Story City closed their doors and sold their building off the interstate there, I basically then started Baker Electric at that point and have been rolling ever since,” Baker said. “If Pella Windows wouldn’t have closed down, I am not even sure I would have started my company full time because I was just working at nights wiring houses.”

Baker said about 65 percent of his company’s work is industrial.

“We do residential, commercial and a lot of industrial work,” he said.

Baker said his duties have shifted through the years.

“My day-to-day job has changed quite a bit,” he said. “I used to work a full-time job, go out and wire it, do all the invoicing, and bidding all myself. I have transitioned to just basically being in the office and that’s obviously a little different than going from an installer to an office guy.”

Baker said none of the developments would have been possible if not for the support of Amanda Baker.

“My wife and I had three young kids when we were young,” he said. “She stayed home and did a great job around the house, so I was really able to go after it. She definitely gets a lot of the credit.”

Construction on the new headquarters began in the winter and is anticipated for completion in the fall. Kolacia Construction, of Fort Dodge, is the general contractor.