Fulton native and Fulton High School graduate Michele Stephens Baker has proved her abilities as a home builder, and owns a successful business in Arkansas.
Baker is the founder and CFO of SBDI Builders in Saline County, Ark., also known as Josie Company LLC, in which the name her contractor’s license is. She was recently featured in the Building Arkansas Magazine.
Baker’s vision and business savvy has grown the company to its current status and has even bigger plans for more growth in the near future. With more than 13 years of experience in building and developing, she has created a dynamic and expanding company.
Baker has been a general contractor since 1999. Her introduction to residential construction came about in 1996 when she and a partner developed some land in Bryant, Ark. She has built over 200 residential homes and has completed numerous developments.
Baker has served on the Board of Directors for the Saline County Home Builders Association for three years, and was vice president of the association in 2009, and is serving as president in 2010. She also serves on the Arkansas State Home Builders Association.
A 1992 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, she obtained an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing, in addition to another 100 hours in business and accounting courses. She became a Registered Nurse and worked in Cardiac Critical Care at Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock for 10 years before pursuing a career in building.
“I wanted to become a builder because I loved the process,” said Baker. “I love being outside, I loved the creative aspect of it – taking a vacant lot and turning it into someone’s dream.”
Baker said she had a lot of help in the early days of her building career.
“I had a lot of encouragement from friends and family when I started my building career,” said Baker. “Builders that I had sold lots to were also a great help.”
Baker was instrumental in the building process of her mother’s home. She realized home building was a profession she would like to try. When the bank agreed to finance her first spec home, it was sold with just a month left before completion. Baker started two more specs, and word began to spread that Baker was a quality builder with an eye for detail. Customs started coming her way, and at the age of 29, she was a full-time homebuilder. She has now been building homes for 11 years.
She primarily builds spec homes; however, she also takes on customs sometimes. Baker is the daughter of Philip and Janice Stephens of Water Valley.
Some of the information in this article was obtained from the Building Arkansas Magazine and the SBDI Builders Web site.
