J.E. Baker primed for second century of growth. (producer of dolomite limestone)

J.E. Baker Primed for Second Century of Growth Major producer of dolomite refractories marks its 100th anniversary this year. A $25 million expansion program reflects management's high level of confidence in company's continued success In 1889, John Edgar Baker, a salesman for the Standard Lime & Stone Co. of Buckeystown, Md., formed a partnership and forked over $10,000 for C.S. Budding & Co. of Wrightsville, Pa. The new Wrightsville Lime Co. quarried limestone for use primarily in fertilizer, whitewash and plaster. Limestone also was being tapped for furnace linings by a growing steel industry.

To better feed the increasingly voracious steel market, Baker, in 1896, expanded into production of dolomitic limestone, a roughly 50-50 CaCO3-MgCO3 rock with superior refractory properties. His new dolomite quarry was located in Lancaster County, Pa.

In early 1904, the company moved its headquarters to nearby York and changed its name to J.E. Baker Co.

The Baker family owned the company until 1984 when it was sold in a leveraged buyout to a management team headed by David F. Manchester, then president and now president and chief executive officer.

Today, The J.E. Baker Co. …