Creating a Safe Haven
A chance encounter leads to a lifelong passion to support safety of people and places.
As a former teacher, Alta Baker knows the significance of committing to excellence. This concept was what she instilled in her students in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, and brought with her when she took over her father’s construction firm. On one visit to a petrochemical facility, Alta was part of an emergency event onsite that required her and her team to seek shelter. After that incident, Alta had a business idea to create a new company, Safe Haven Enterprises LLC (Safe Haven), manufacturing her first fire and blast resistant modular (BRM) building to protect her own team while working in a plant. Her company now builds safe structures for a range of customers, including military and energy companies.
Maximizing safety
As the need for safety and security continues to be a priority for industries, Safe Haven is a complete, rapid deployment turn-key manufacturer. Safe Haven provides BRM buildings and permanent facilities from concept to engineering to installation.
Safe Haven has provided its products to U.S. embassies and consulates, for purposes ranging from securing buildings during the Covid pandemic to fabricating a facility before Hurricane Rita and installing bunkers in New Orleans for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to Hurricane Katrina. From 1998 to current day, the company mission is to provide an unprecedented level of protection for personnel and property.
Familiar beginnings
Hailing from Jennings, Louisiana, nicknamed the “cradle of Louisiana oil,” due to the city claiming fame for the state’s first oil well in 1901, Alta is no stranger to the oil and gas industry. Her business is also part of her hometown’s proud history related to oil and natural gas, as she gives back to her community by employing local skilled workers, tradespeople, and other related vendors as her business continues to grow.
Expanding opportunity
Alta says success comes from delivering quality products, staying adaptable to market demands, and taking advantage of resources available through programs geared to developing US suppliers. Through Alta’s attendance at the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) conference, she met Shell personnel, since Shell USA is a national corporate participant of the event. WBENC is a national non-profit organization helping women-owned and small businesses navigate business development, promoting innovation and creating partnerships that fuel the economy. During a meeting at WBENC, the need for specialty blast resistant modules at Shell facilities in the US was expressed, and Safe Haven accommodated.
Since 2022, Safe Haven has proven to be a solid supplier to Shell, demonstrating a keen understanding of site requirements by ensuring their team is available to accommodate urgent requests and deliver units with improved delivery dates, especially in facilities critical to on-going operations.
In 2024, Alta was invited to participate in the Business and Leadership Academy that was hosted by Shell Polymers in Monaca, PA, to speak to her experiences working with Shell.
Continued growth
Alta is a recent graduate of The Blue Wave Supplier Development Program, an executive course designed by the American Petroleum Institute to equip small businesses in the oil and gas industry with the resources and international standards needed to navigate an evolving regulatory environment. As Alta’s acumen grows in the industry, she and her team are poised to continue to provide safe blast resistant products to a range of industries.
Alta’s advice for other businesses looking to grow: Make certain that you are doing something that you really love because it shows.
