CARIBOU, Maine — Not everyone would call having three days off work in the past year “good,” but Jeff Baker does.
The owner of JB Sheet Metal in Caribou wakes up every morning ready for work, and neither business nor his enthusiasm for the business are slowing.
JB Sheet Metal opened its doors on Feb. 27 last year — three months after the sheet metal company Baker previously worked for abruptly closed its doors. He’d been six weeks shy of his 25-year anniversary with the company when Baker and his five co-workers were out of a job.
The former project manager never dreamed of becoming his own boss, but JB Sheet Metal is now thriving to the extent that Baker hired two of his former co-workers.
If business keeps growing at its current rate, Baker said he’ll have to hire another.
When the shop first opened, a cautiously optimistic Baker was very encouraged with the 8-10 people walking through the door every day with projects; now, that number’s steadily grown to around 25-30 — and winter is supposed to be a slow time for the sheet metal industry.
Not even this month’s sub-zero temperatures are stemming the flow of orders; Baker had to lock up the office for a bit one day recently, but when he got back, there were two order slips and two messages waiting for him on the door, plus his answering machine was eight messages deep.
“It’s all good,” he said with a beaming grin. “I know my employees are happy — I know I’m happy.”
A lot of hard work doesn’t seem to faze Baker or his two employees, Kurt Foresman and Ed Bither; during the holiday season, they were all working seven days a week for four weeks.
Sure, they were tired. “But we’re having fun,” Baker said.
Like the previous company, JB Sheet Metal creates quality pieces necessary for construction. Unlike the previous company, being his own boss means that Baker has the creative license to expand beyond building materials.
A lobster steamer that will cook 120 pounds of lobster at a time?
Done.
A full cab for a tractor?
Crafted with care.
A medical walker affixed to cross country skis to make Aroostook’s winters more handicap accessible?
Of course!
How about a wood stove pipe that fits a cookie sheet and can bake a loaf of bread using the same heat that’s normally pumped out of a home anyway?
Not yet, but maybe soon. Baker said they haven’t been able to finish the project because it’s a for-the-shop item and they’ve been too busy working on customer orders to spare more than half a day working on it.
“That’s an excellent problem,” Baker admitted, adding that he hasn’t even had time to put a rack on his pickup truck. The shop has a “slow day” list of things to do, and only two things have been checked off since the business opened — both done out of necessity, as the items were sold out at the shop and Baker needed to restock the inventory.
“We’re on a roll,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I like it, and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”
In addition to the heating, cooling and duct work that Baker’s crew is known for, JB Sheet Metal stocks steel, specialized nuts and bolts, hardware, fasteners, grills and complimentary items for heating, cooling and duct work.
Having such specialized items right in town means that community members don’t have to wait for ordered parts to have their hot water or air conditioning restored.
“I’ve had many, many plumbing and heating guys come in here on a Friday night and somehow, between what I have here and what they have in their van, we’re able to get the job done,” Baker said.
But Baker wouldn’t have been able to build such a successful business were it not for some help along the way — namely from Bryan Thompson of the Caribou Economic Growth Council and John Swanberg, president of Aroostook Savings and Loan. Thompson encouraged Baker to become an entrepreneur, and Swanberg helped Baker with funding.
Turns out, many more had a hand in helping JB Sheet Metal come about.
“I’m starting to find out that there were a lot of players looking at this from the beginning; the bank has a board of directors, and so does the CEGC and [the Northern Maine Development Commission],” Baker said.
Originally, he thought he was dealing with three people to start the business. Now he knows there were dozens of people who wanted Caribou to grow and who saw potential in JB Sheet Metal — and in Baker.
“Some people won’t think this is a big deal, but there are three more well-paying jobs in Caribou than there were a year ago,” Baker said appreciatively. “It’s going to take some more years, but we’re going to make it.”
“This business is going to succeed because it has to,” he emphasized. “I won’t let it do anything but succeed.”
JB Sheet Metal is located at 548 Main Street and can be reached by calling 493-1068.