EP #140: Building the #1 Concrete Contractor in America: Grit, Growth & 50+ Years of Lessons

2025-11-27

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Everyone in the concrete world knows the Baker name, but very few know the real story. This episode finally gets it on record. Dan Baker walks through how the company started with three brothers, $500, and a truck that needed a hill to start — and how it grew into ENR’s #1 concrete contractor in America. Dan lays out the moves, the mistakes, the risks, and the mindset shifts required to grow from residential slabs to major industrial, stadiums, and billion-dollar work. If you're trying to scale a concrete company, this episode is a roadmap.

Everyone in the concrete world knows the Baker name, but very few know the real story.

This episode finally gets it on record. Dan Baker walks through how the company started with three brothers, $500, and a truck that needed a hill to start — and how it grew into ENR’s #1 concrete contractor in America.

Dan lays out the moves, the mistakes, the risks, and the mindset shifts required to grow from residential slabs to major industrial, stadiums, and billion-dollar work. If you're trying to scale a concrete company, this episode is a roadmap.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

What allowed Baker to jump from residential flatwork to commercial and industrial work
The key moment that changed the company’s trajectory forever
Why the first stadium project lost seven figures — and what Dan did next
When to hire someone smarter than you (and why you may have to pay them more than yourself)
Why Dan says contractors must “either know or should have known” when things go wrong
How to build a reputation that actually carries you into bigger work

CHAPTERS
00:00 – Why this is the most requested interview in show history
01:24 – The real origins of Baker Concrete in 1968
09:59 – Learning concrete the hard way (and the right way)
17:40 – The A-frame job that changed everything
23:27 – Turner hands Baker the total-package blueprint
26:50 – What it truly takes to “cross over” in this industry
37:25 – Losing a million dollars on a stadium — and still going after the Bengals
42:50 – Becoming (and staying) #1
48:11 – Dan explains the “Amish Marines” mindset
50:17 – People. Honor. Grit. Baker’s core in one sentence.

GUEST INFO
Dan Baker
Founder, Baker Concrete Construction
Bio: https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/guests/daniel-l-baker/
Company: Baker Construction Enterprises
Website: https://www.bakerconstruction.com

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PODCAST PARTNERS

INTELLIGENT CONCRETE
Want advanced concrete training, petrography education, mix-design science, and materials research?

Visit Intelligent Concrete at: www.concretelogicpodcast.com/intelligent-concrete

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KUIU
KUIU gear link (first orders get 15% off): www.concretelogicpodcast.com/KUIU

CREDITS
Produced by: Jodi Tandett & Concrete Logic Media
Music by: Mike Dunton — https://www.mdunton.com

CONNECT WITH US
Host: Seth Tandett
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethtandett/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@concretelogicpodcast
Website: https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com

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