Baker honored as Employee of the Year by CEAO

Cory Baker doesn’t mind working behind the scenes. In fact, the Holmes County Engineer’s Office technician prefers it that way.

However, on Thursday, Dec. 28, Baker was the center of attention during the weekly Holmes County commissioner board meeting at the Old Jail in Millersburg, where he received a proclamation honoring him for being selected as the Employee of the Year by County Engineer’s Association of Ohio.

Having worked for Holmes County Engineer’s Office since 2017, he has performed his duties as the liaison for the Ohio Public Works Commissioner District 14 the past four years, and it was through his diligence in serving in that capacity that he earned the honor bestowed upon him.

Baker’s role demands extensive collaboration with governments across the eight-county district, and Holmes County engineer Chris Young said Baker has done so exceptionally well.

“I have a lot of wonderful employees,” Young said. “They really work hard for the county and our office, but Cory not only does that, but he is also working for eight counties as the Ohio Public Works liaison, so he is working with all of these counties and does a wonderful job. It’s a lot of work, and that’s why he received the award.”

Baker said it was an honor and one he believes is simply derived from his willingness to work hard and work with others.

“I appreciate the nomination,” Baker said. “All of the county engineers are great to work with, and they are so good at what they do. They make it easy for me each year.”

Young said while he nominated Baker for the award, so too did the other seven county engineers.

Commissioner Joe Miller not only congratulated Baker on his award, but also complimented the entire engineer’s office, starting at the top with Young, and Young said it is because of the dedication of people like Baker who make it possible to have county roads that are the envy of many counties.

Baker is the liaison for the grant program among the eight qualifying counties, and he must receive all of the grants in late October, sift through them and figure out all of the qualifying scoring, and administer the highest-scoring grant requests until the grant allocation is out of funding.

The grants come from counties, government municipalities, townships and other sources.

While it is additional work on top of what he does for the county, Baker said it has led to some wonderful relationships and satisfying work.

Among his projects are bridge work, road resurfacing projects and ensuring compliance with access management regulations.

“It’s rewarding,” Baker said. “I enjoy meeting and working with new contractors, and I love watching a project go from start to finish and get completed.”

He pointed to the newly completed Spellacy Bridge, a massive covered bridge near Loudonville, as an example of the work that comes to fruition through his work with grant funding.

He said the other part of his job that he will never take for granted is working with great people, both through his teammates at the Holmes County Engineer’s Office as well as the countless contractors with whom he works closely.

“Our crew here at the engineer’s office is amazing, and we have so many incredible contractors in this area who are extremely professional and great at what they do, and that makes the job enjoyable,” Baker said.

Commissioner Dave Hall congratulated Baker and said he understands it takes a total team effort to achieve an honor like this. Hall also said it takes the commitment of a family, from his parents to his wife Stephanie, who sat by his side during the local proclamation ceremony.

“It’s important to have the support from everyone in your life, and it’s an important process of being lifted up to do a strong job as a county employee,” Hall said.

The commissioner agreed the honor was well deserved because of Baker’s relentless effort and willingness to work well with others.