05/29/2026
“Work is looking for people.”
That’s how Tom Baker Sr. has thought about construction for more than seven decades.
In 1956, founder Charlie Smith offered Tom a choice: $200 cash or two shares in the company.
Tom took the shares. The others took the cash.
Tom joined C.D. Smith after working summers to pay for college at UW-Stout. What followed was a career that helped shape projects, people and the direction of the company across generations.
In the 1970s, Tom went from working on apartment buildings in Fort Myers Beach to St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan within the same year. The project list goes on and on, from churches and schools to developments across Fond du Lac and beyond.
The work became part of daily life. So did the philosophy behind it.
Tom’s son, Tom J. Baker, served as project manager and vice president. His other son, Bob Baker, was CFO. Today, his grandson, Ben Baker, carries the family name forward as an LLC consultant with C.D. Smith.
Now Chairman of the Board, Tom still comes into the office most days.
His advice is simple and unchanged.
“Consider a trade school. Learn a skill. Work hard, listen, watch and learn on the job. Follow your mentors and learn from their example. And never forget, customers are the most important part of the job.”
The Spring 2026 issue of Beneath the Hard Hat® tells the full story.
Read it here: https://www.cdsmith.com/blog/work-is-looking-for-people-tom-baker-sr-cd-smith-construction
C.D. Smith Construction HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital University of Wisconsin-Stout
