Remembering Edward L. ‘Ted’ Baker

Baker

Ted Baker, who served Florida Rock Industries in capacities such as president, CEO and chairman during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, died April 28. He was 87.

Baker, who was enshrined in the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame earlier this year, was the greatest driver of Florida Rock’s growth, taking an enterprise his father started during the Great Depression and expanding its reach across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic tremendously during the latter half of the 20th century.

In 1972, following the merger of several established concrete companies into Shands & Baker, the name of the corporation was officially changed to Florida Rock. The Shands & Baker Division was incorporated into an aggregate group.

Florida Rock sold in 2007 to Vulcan Materials in a deal valued at more than $4 billion, but not before Baker diversified his company and grew it through his own strategic acquisitions and a highly calculated plan over many years.

“What made him great was his honesty, direct leadership, charm and humility,” says John Baker II, who paid tribute to his brother during the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame induction ceremony in March. “More than all his public companywide interactions, what made him so beloved was his interpersonal dealings with our people. They all knew him not as Mr. Baker, but as Ted. They all really knew him and they considered him their friend.”

To learn more about Baker’s life and career, read his Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame profile here.

Featured photo: P&Q Archives