Patriot Transportation Holding announced that Thompson S. Baker II has accepted an offer to become president and chief executive officer of the Jacksonville, Fla.-based company effective Oct. 1. John D. Baker II will elevate to the position of executive chairman of the board, and current Chairman Edward L. Baker will become chairman emeritus.
Thompson S. Baker II has been a member of the company’s board since 1994. Prior to the merger of Florida Rock Industries Inc. into Vulcan Materials Co., Tom served as president of both the Florida Rock Aggregate and Cement divisions, where he led both divisions to record revenue and profits growth for several years between 2003 and 2006. Tom also served as the principal leader of Florida Rock’s strategic “Good-To-Great” initiative during 2005 and 2006 that took that company to new performance levels in the areas of growth, operations and people. Since the Vulcan-Florida Rock merger in November 2007, Tom has served as the president of the Florida Rock division of Vulcan with principal responsibility for integrating the assets of both companies servicing the Florida market for construction materials.
“The Board and I are thrilled at this opportunity to bring Tom’s managerial and leadership talents to the Patriot team,” John D. Baker II says. “His coming to Patriot now reunites the same top three officers at Patriot that previously successfully led Florida Rock in the early and mid-2000s. I look forward to handing Tom the day-to-day leadership responsibilities, but I will remain heavily focused on this company’s strategic direction and initiatives. While my brother Ted has earned his emeritus status, I am certain that he will continue to mentor Tom and myself as all three of us remain members of the board of directors.”
