209 - Building Success Through People with Alec Baker of Tate Engineering
Join us on The DMV Business Show with Otto Sevilla as we share the journey of Alec Baker, President and CEO of Tate Engineering. Alec discusses his journey, leadership philosophy, and the evolution of a 100-year-old family business. He shares how Tate Engineering, originally founded by his great-grandfather, has transitioned from selling equipment to focusing on industrial services, particularly boilers, HVAC systems, and related mechanicals for the commercial and industrial sectors. Alec opens up about his winding path before joining the family business, from competitive biking and environmental science in college, to guiding whitewater rafts and flying professionally as a commercial pilot. After a career pivot spurred by personal changes and a key opportunity at Tate, he stepped into the company in 2014 and eventually took on the top leadership role by 2018. Alec candidly discusses the challenges of joining a family business without prior experience and how he immersed himself in the field, learning directly from service technicians. He talks about the company’s critical transition away from low-margin equipment sales towards higher-margin service work, emphasizing the importance of surrounding himself with the right people, building a strong leadership team, and fostering a healthy company culture. The conversation covers the impact of COVID-19, the company’s quick recovery, and current growth strategies, including targeting the rapidly expanding data center market in the Mid-Atlantic. Alec shares lessons learned about hiring and firing, making difficult decisions, trusting his instincts, and the value of mentorship and advisory boards. Throughout the episode, Alec stresses the importance of people, teamwork, and open communication. He reflects on his own leadership style, preferring to listen and learn, and the company’s commitment to its core values: growth, accountability, integrity, and teamwork. The episode wraps with Alec’s thoughts on success, ongoing personal growth, what excites him about the future, and his hobbies, from riding motorcycles to flying and quality time with his daughter. Overall, it’s a genuine, insightful conversation about family business, leadership evolution, and building lasting success grounded in culture and people.This episode is brought to you by: SEVI - The first commercial real estate company committed to the four C’s: Commercial Real Estate, Community, Content, and Culturehttps://seviproperties.com/LET'S CONNECT!LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ottosevillaInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/theottosevillaFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheOttoSevillaYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OttoSevillaEmail Me! [email protected] Me! 240-706-7584