Jim Baker, 62, owns Pizza Baker, LLC, positioned on Principal Street close to Rodd Street in downtown Midland. They present sour dough, wood-fired pizza, for dine-in and take-out even though Jim stated the pizzas are finest eaten in the dining space “fresh out of the oven.”  You can order in individual or on line at www.pizzabaker.net.  The shop is open Tuesdays from four:00-eight:00pm and Wednesdays via Saturdays from 11 a.m.-eight p.m. They are closed on Sunday and Monday.

In addition to Jim’s wife, Janet, and their son, Jameson, who each function at Pizza Baker, they have ten staff. Jim and Janet have been married for 34 years. 

Jim’s a graduate of New Lothrop Higher College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and public wellness education from CMU and a master’s in wellness solutions administration from the University of Detroit. They came to Midland in 1997 when he was the manager of the Household Practice Center at the Mid-Michigan Regional Healthcare Center. 

How lengthy have you owned your enterprise?  We began this as a aspect-time mobile enterprise in 2014. We have an oven on a trailer. Very first began carrying out private catering, we nevertheless do that. Right after a couple of summers, we got the licenses to do public events and set-up at the Farmers Market place and festivals. 

What inspired you to personal the enterprise?  To give my son a summer time job. In 2014, I constructed this tiny oven on a trailer. We did pizza parties for good friends and households, had no intention of getting a enterprise. We began finding telephone calls from folks I didn’t know. It began evolving. I was downsized from a job in the summer time of ’14 so my wife and I decided to give the enterprise a possibility to develop.  We opened downtown in August 2019.

When I began carrying out these parties, in some cases it was just me and Jameson, or all 3 of us. He thrived. He initial began taking orders. He helped reduce pizzas and provide them to the buffet tables. He has Asperger’s Syndrome, an intellectual disability on the autism spectrum, but he’s physically match. Really sharp thoughts. When some thing hits his thoughts, it by no means leaves. If you are a creature of habit, he will ring up your order ahead of you spot it and confirm that is what you want. Jameson knows the customers’ names. He’s seriously the face of Pizza Baker. If he’s not there, folks ask exactly where he’s at. He participates in Particular Olympics and the Kiwanis Aktion Club, a neighborhood group for folks with disabilities. 

What tends to make Midland a good spot to personal a enterprise?  The neighborhood supports tiny enterprise in basic and, in distinct, they help our mission of not only pizza, but supporting folks with disabilities. Jameson’s not the only individual with a disability who operates for Pizza Baker. 

What are some techniques your enterprise is active in the nearby neighborhood?  We help the Arnold Center. We acquire our greens for our salads, that are grown hydroponically at Arnold Farms. We participate in Shelterhouse’s Restaurant Week. We have students from the ESA (Educational Service Agency). We’re a function web page.  

What are some of your interests and hobbies?  I delight in spending time with my wife and my son. Outdoors of the enterprise, I delight in cooking, experimenting with various flavors. I play guitar. I lately got into tinkering with guitars, purchased a extremely affordable Chinese guitar, tore it apart and rebuilt it. 

What are some nearby enterprises you function with that assist make your enterprise a results? 

We have a formal arrangement with 3 Bridges Distillery and Taproom, subsequent door. When you dine at Pizza Baker, you dine with soft drinks, but you can go to 3 Bridges and order with your server our pizza and delight in it with your cocktail or beer. Grape Beginnings Winery will let folks take our pizza more than there. We’ve completed exchanges with other tiny enterprises about town, present card swaps. Supports them and supports us. 

Final thoughts to share?  A large thank you-we have a extremely loyal client base. These consumers refer new consumers to us. It is our consumers who enable us to thrive.