In Room 122 of the Penn Beaver Hotel in Rochester, Pa., Michael Baker Jr. opened his engineering and consulting firm 80 years ago on May 1, 1940, and by the end of its first year, Michael Baker Consulting started to take root. In 1943, his consulting firm won a contract for the location study and design for the first major freeway in Pittsburgh — the Penn-Lincoln Parkway East. Around the same time, the Company also moved into architectural work, designing and building airports, elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, churches, stadiums and transit systems around the country.
Over the past 80 years, the firm has solved some of the world’s most complex infrastructure challenges, partnering with clients on everything from airports, roads, bridges, tunnels, to water treatment plants, arctic oil pipelines, environmental restoration and specialized overseas construction. The Company has also developed and utilized the latest technology, including intelligent transportation systems and drones, to make the communities it serves safer, more accessible, more sustainable and more livable.
Michael Baker has a proud legacy in the field of transportation, engineering thousands of bridges and countless miles of road, often working on the nation’s most complex transportation networks. The Company also has airport design in its DNA, providing planning, environmental, design and construction services to airports worldwide. Knowing that airports are a key economic driver and source of pride for their communities, Michael Baker proudly serves as partners to more than 150 aviation clients, from the smallest general aviation facilities to the busiest international airports in the world, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, O’Hare International Airport and the Allegheny County Airport Authority.
Last year, Michael Baker was awarded a contract to provide architectural and engineering design and construction services for Pittsburgh International Airport's terminal modernization, including the design and construction of multi-use parking garage and ground transportation center, rental car facilities, parking lots, access roads and more. It is the first of two phases to redevelop the airport and have the landside and airside terminals located in one structure.
In fact, since 1989, the firm has provided multidiscipline, on-call engineering services to the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which owns and operates Pittsburgh International Airport and Allegheny County Airport. Acting as an extension of the airport authority's staff, the Company delivers a full range of services on an on-call, as-needed basis, including architecture, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and environmental services.
In addition to the firm’s work with Allegheny County Airport Authority, Michael Baker has been integral in the development of the airport corridor and a strong advocate for the growth of the region. This depth includes long-term relationships with many surrounding municipalities, including Findlay Township (Engineer of Record since 1998) and Moon Township.
Michael Baker has been an vital player in the planning, engineering, and design of numerous major developments in the corridor, including Dick’s Sporting Goods Corporate Headquarters (complete site design, environmental permitting, traffic forecasting and highway permitting, access roadway design, taxiway and ramp design, and construction-phase support services); Atlantic Aviation FBO Center (full architectural and engineering services); The Mall at Robinson Commercial Development (engineering studies, permitting, conceptual site layout, final engineering design, and construction-phase services); and The Pointe at North Fayette (preliminary studies, permitting, conceptual site layout, final engineering design, and construction-phase services).
Michael Baker’s legacy of expertise, experience, innovation and integrity is evident by its numerous industry awards. Most recently, the Company was named Employer of the Year and Member of the Year (Kim Guice, Project Manager – Bridge) by WTS International, the premier organization dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in the transportation industry.
The firm also remains committed to Making a Difference through local office community and charitable engagement and through its support of international organizations like Bridges to Prosperity and Engineers Without Borders.
Embracing technology, transforming communities and bringing people together through the marvels of engineering, the firm continues to fulfill its founder’s original mission to make the world a better place.
