Historic Richmond business returns to Scott’s Addition under new name

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — After being closed for over a decade, a Richmond business is reopening in the neighborhood where it operated for nearly 100 years.

Originally named “Baker Equipment,” the business resided on Summit Avenue in Scott’s Addition since 1919. The business was founded by Joseph Brimmer Baker, who manufactured wooden flatbeds, bucket trucks and hydraulic pumps.

Now called Baker Hydraulics , the business is being taken over by Baker’s great-grandson, Glen Baker III, after being closed for more than a decade.

“If you cut me open, I feel like I bleed hydraulic fluid, hydraulics has been part of my life for so long,” said Baker III. “It made for a great opportunity for me to say, ‘Hey, this is going to be worth the risk,” because I know the impact that it can have for our customers and our employees.”

Over the years, the business employed thousands of Richmond residents as Baker III’s great-grandfather passed down his business to two more generations of Baker men, his grandfather father, J. Glen Baker, and his father, ‘Skip’ Baker, before shutting down in 2013. Baker III recalled his most fondest memories, which include working for the company as a teenager.

“I remember how happy people were to work for Baker, we really were a close knit family, not just employees or peers,” said Baker III. “Being young and growing up at Baker Equipment and seeing all the different things that we did and the different skills that we deployed. It was definitely a rewarding experience.”

In the last ten years while the business was closed, Scott’s Addition has changed significantly, with apartments replacing warehouses. Baker III plans on servicing the evolving community by specializing in hydraulic repairs and committing to the values his forefathers taught him.

“Be honest, be dependable and do what we say we’re going to do,” said Baker III. “I believe that if you are approaching your service business, where you’re serving your customers and your employees, you know, really focusing on serving others, people will reward you with more business and more opportunity.”

Baker III said he plans on reaching out to past workers and business partners as he re-integrates himself into today’s Scott’s Addition.

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