In early September, the family-owned staff of Robert Baxter Electric gathered for their company dinner. Little did 70-year-old Robert Baxter know that he would be made man of the hour.
An employee of Robert Baxter Electric, Michael Nixon, also served in the National Guard. Every time he had to serve, Baxter not only gave him the time off, but paid him for it as well.
"I remember my mother telling me 'You can never go wrong by doing the right thing,' That always stuck with me," said Baxter. "I'm 70. I should have been in Vietnam, but I had a young wife and child and really bad knees and they didn't want me. Supporting Michael was my way of serving."
Nixon nominated his employer for the "Patriotic Employer" award for the State of Oklahoma. Out of thousands of essays submitted, Nixon's essay won and Robert Baxter earned the "Patriotic Employer" honor for the State of Oklahoma by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
He is now in the running for the national honors.
"I thought that was pretty cool," said Baxter. "I was pretty surprised."
Robert Baxter has being doing the right thing all his career. He started Baxter Electric in 1976, and at the time, he was the youngest electrician to go into business in Oklahoma. By the late 1990s, he was the largest, non-union electric contractor in the state.
"It's a nice ego boost, but sometimes bigger isn't better," Baxter said. "I had 30 trucks and 100 employees at the time. But, it had it's share of problems, and I had messed up my leg, so I thought I'd sell it and retire."
After selling Baxter Electric in 2012, he quickly discovered retirement was not his cup of tea.
"I was so bored about a year into retirement. My leg was messed up, so I couldn't play golf, so I went back into business," Baxter said. "I opened as Robert Baxter Electric. This time, we didn't do a lot of new construction or commercial construction, but did mostly service work."
Although Robert Baxter Electric still does some remodeling and room addition work, most of the calls are helping people with their electrical services and shorts. In fact, that's when the new slogan came about.
"If you can find your shorts, call us," said Baxter. "It's a fun slogan. It's something I heard Paul Harvey say way back in the 80s or something."
Robert Baxter Electric started with one truck and one other employee. Today, the company is a family-owned operation with four trucks and seven staff.
Headquartered in Edmond, Robert Baxter Electric takes on home electrical needs. Whether it’s installing better lighting in your kitchen, or having all the electrical outlets and switches in your new room addition installed by a professional, or making sure your breakers don’t trip every time the neighbor walks his dog, it is Baxter life’s mission to see you are satisfied with his electrical services.
"We are a tight-knit group. We are family-owned. And we can find your shorts," Baxter said.
For more information, visit rbelectric.com or call (405) 340-5670.