by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
Quitting has never been an option for Ronald Baker.
A Jacksonville native, Baker is the deputy executive director and chief financial officer for the Jacksonville Port Authority (Jaxport).
As one of nine children, he had to overcome many obstacles to reach his current station in life. But Baker said he never considered throwing in the towel.
“Things for us coming up were challenging to say the least,” he said. “In a lot of ways I have been the first one to do a lot of things and although I have been a pioneer (in my family) the ease of quitting never really entered my mind.”
As a motto for his life, Baker chooses to live by the famous Winston Churchill quote: “Never, ever, ever give up.”
“(Churchill) was decisive,” said Baker. “He valued the unrealized future for his country and at great personal sacrifice he did what he considered to be the right thing.”
As CFO for Jaxport, Baker has been influential in many of the changes within the organization since he started there 2001.
Baker said one thing he’s done is to help reduce Jaxport’s long-term fixed rate debt costs by at least $1 million.
“Historically, we have paid close to $9 or $10 million per year,” he said. “Now, that number is closer to seven million.”
Within the next 10 years, Baker said he aspires to add 25,000 jobs to the existing 45,000, but said that can only happen if the harbor is deepened.
The harbor was recently dredged to 41 feet. If the harbor is deepened to the industry standard of 45 feet, Baker said larger ships will be able to come into Jacksonville, creating more job opportunities.
“We aspire to be the most diversified port on the East Coast,” he said.
Baker has also seen major changes in port security.
“About two years ago, we decided that security needed to be one of our core confidences,” he said. “We have prioritized security as something that we need to be very good at.”
Since then, Baker said Jaxport spent an additional $3 to $6 million on security.
Besides making advancements and changes at Jaxport, Baker is passionate about making a difference in the community.
“In terms of my educational pursuits, in terms of my work life, it has always been about making a difference,” he said. “I tend to spend my personal time on initiatives where people appear to have some degree of disadvantage.”
Baker is involved with several community organizations such as the PACE center for Girls, the Clara White Mission and Pine Castle. He was also on the board of United Way in 2001.
“Coming from adverse conditions and figuring out how to make it work is what drives and motivates me,” he said. “Those programs are all about people that are figuring out ways to bloom where they are planted.”
Though a determined business and community leader, Baker said he has no political aspirations.
“I admire people that have political aspirations and have contributed and sacrificed,” he said, “but politics is something that I have absolutely, positively no interest in.”
Baker also likes to spend his leisure time reading, golfing or skiing. An avid history buff, he enjoys reading about African-American history and the Civil War, especially the formation of the Southern states. He is currently reading the autobiography of Thomas Jefferson.
In the future, Baker said he has no plans to leave Jacksonville.
“I was born and raised here. My family is here. I will probably die here,” he said. “(Jacksonville) is a good match for the things that are important to me.”
Baker lives in East Arlington with his wife and two sons, Rhyxan (pronounced Ryan) and Randyl.
“(In the future) I plan on spending a lot of time and energy with my seven- and eight-year-old sons,” he said.
Baker would also like to get involved with the public school system in the future, but said he is going to try not to overextend himself.
Even though Baker has struggled and persevered to gain his level of success, he said his belief in God is what has led him to the top.
“I am always thankful for what God has done for me and with me,” he said. “My faith has been a compass for me.”