The Path to Greatness
Gordon H. Baver, Inc.Over half a century ago, Gordon H. Baver, Inc. was just an ambitious idea. Founder, Gordon Baver grew up in the Pennsburg area, where the business still resides to this day. After bravely serving our country, Gordon found his passion in construction while preparing for a college career in pre-dental. Swept up in the love for building, he began taking engineering courses and soon found himself working demolition. Originally, Gordon was interested in doing road work, but he did not have the money for the equipment. He settled into General Construction. And so, “with a pickup truck, another guy and a few hand tools.” Gordon H. Baver, Inc. was born on April 1st, 1960.
They opened their first main office in East Greenville, PA. The company grew quickly, and soon they were staffing between 40 to 50 workers to complete 5 or 6 simultaneous projects within a 50-mile radius of their home office. At this time, the company focused on commercial, industrial and institutional work.
In 1964, Gordon became a member of the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. (ABC). His involvement was extensive and influential. He was awarded a bronze coat in the spring of 1967 for bringing in 26 new members. It was featured in the official ABC monthly magazine, who praised him, saying;
“Our fond wish is that there were more like him in all ten ABC chapters.”
While a member of the Delaware Valley Chapter, Gordon and a few other members, decided to form a Lehigh Valley Chapter. During his time there, Gordon served as a Board Member and President for two years. He handed down his Presidency in 1977 to Vice President Bob Edelman. Continuing on, Gordon served in the PA State Chapter and as a board member on the National Association.
In December of 1994, Gordon and his two sons were featured in American Builder Magazine as “Commercial Construction Built with Family Pride.” The magazine displayed photographs of 5 current and large projects they were working on. In the article, Gordon exhibits his pride in not only the company, but his family as well. “’I’m very proud of the organization. We really are a company that’s family owned and operated. We work like a team, and we try to have our employees also feel like a part of that team.’” At this time, Gordon was serving as president. Loretta, his wife, as secretary, and his sons, Bruce as treasurer, and David as vice-president.
“‘They’re a good team. They complement each other and respect each other, and I know they’ll do a great job. A dad can’t ask for anything more than that.'”
– Gordon H. Baver (Founder)
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Gordon retired in December of 1995, proudly selling the company to his two sons, David G. Baver (left) and Bruce W. Baver (right). David and Bruce took the reins on January 1st, 1996. At that time, David was named President of the company and Bruce was named Vice President and Secretary. Thomas A. Roth was named treasurer and Gordon was elected to Chairman of the Board where he resided until a few years before his passing in 2009.
After Gordon’s “semi-retirement”, his sons focused on keeping the company small. They maintained the 50-mile operating radius, but kept employee numbers to a consistent 25. This was by design, to stay competitive. They believed that a small, and personal company would create a better product and a far better working relationship, which the company held very important. As David stated in an article in US Builders Review in 2011,
“’The clients are happy, because projects are done on time and the quality is phenomenal, and they’re not dealing with five other people, just the principal of the company.’”
– David Baver (President/Owner)
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While the company stayed small, their clientele did not. GHB was now taking on Public/Municipal, Medical, Institutional/Religious as well as a few Custom Homes. These earned them features and references in many magazines. Their work on a custom home in the early 2000’s received recognition in 5 magazines including; Bucks: The Art + Culture + Lifestyle Magazine, Stone Business, Lawrentian, Home & Design and Inside.
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Their continued persistence and dedication to producing a quality product has earned them countless Awards of Excellence, and their sensitivity to the environment has earned them a Green Build Award. GHB has even received government recognition from the Senate of Pennsylvania and the House of Representatives.
GHB continues to be family owned and operated. Bruce has since retired from his position as vice-president, but continues to help out when he can. David remains on as president/owner. Bruce’s son Benjamin and David’s son Aaron work full time at the company as Field Coordinator/Sitework Estimator/Assistant Secretary and Business Development/Project Manager/Assistant Treasurer. With a handful of others, the company stands strong in its beliefs of a small house producing a high quality product. And more importantly, creating a strong working relationship with its customers and employees.
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