Our Story

Our Story

About Us

Baker, Lewis & Company is the SBA lending industry’s premier executive search and personnel consulting firm.

With 25 years of cumulative SBA experience, over 300 SBA employee placements, and numerous talent management initiatives completed for top 50 SBA lenders, we have been where you want to go, and we are ready to take you there.

What We Believe

  • 1 We are not transactional—we are focused on relationships and building partnerships that last a lifetime.
  • 2 We are tethered to the long-term success of the candidate and the employer. That’s the reason for our industry-gold-standard 12-month guarantee.
  • 3 We don’t force an agenda—where you spend your waking hours is a personal decision with wide-ranging consequences for your life and relationships. We take that seriously and will help you make the right decision for you.
  • 4 We aren’t trying to “make things happen.” We facilitate the due diligence process for employers and candidates and only want to be involved in hiring decisions that result in long-term, positive impact for both parties. It’s our job to help you evaluate every possible opportunity until you can make a fully informed decision that benefits you as much as possible
  • 5 We put candidates and clients above any personal agenda.
  • 6 We are committed to doing the right deals the right way.

Our Leadership

About Us

We are Dustin Baker and Shane Lewis. We're entrepreneurs and SBA industry enthusiasts who love helping people and organizations realize their ambitions. Baker Lewis is a partnership that began with a phone call in 2017. We scheduled that call to discuss collaborating on a recruiting assignment. It was the first time we’d ever talked, but it was clear we were equally passionate about the SBA industry and providing a world class experience for our clients and candidates. 2 years and two dozen deals later, we formally partnered with a vision of Reimagining the SBA industry.

What We Believe

  • 1 We are not transactional—we are focused on relationships and building partnerships that last a lifetime.
  • 2 We are tethered to the long-term success of the candidate and the employer. That’s the reason for our industry-gold-standard 12-month guarantee.
  • 3 We don’t force an agenda—where you spend your waking hours is a personal decision with wide-ranging consequences for your life and relationships. We take that seriously and will help you make the right decision for you.
  • 4 We aren’t trying to “make things happen.” We facilitate the due diligence process for employers and candidates and only want to be involved in hiring decisions that result in long-term, positive impact for both parties. It’s our job to help you evaluate every possible opportunity until you can make a fully informed decision that benefits you as much as possible
  • 5 We put candidates and clients above any personal agenda.
  • 6 We are committed to doing the right deals the right way.

Our Leadership

Dustin Baker

CEO and Co-Founder

Dustin Baker

CEO and co-founder Dustin Baker has built his practice on the strength of his relationships and expertise in the SBA industry. His SBA roots run deep—his first “grown up” job fresh out of school was a 5-year stint at the industry’s trade group, NAGGL, where he had an insider’s view of the industry and forged deep relationships with industry leaders nationwide.

Dustin has recruited in the SBA industry since 2004, including 5 years as a Director for a national finance company headquartered in Dallas, TX. He is endlessly interested in people and their stories. He loves helping leaders craft, cast, and execute on their visions. He imagines himself as a partner to every client and a trusted confidant to every candidate. Maybe that’s why the managers of so many top national SBA lenders have given him the exclusive rights to tell their stories and why he is the first call for so many candidates when they know it’s time to move on.

Dustin recently relocated with his wife and 4 children to the booming city of Tulsa, OK after 16 years in the Dallas, TX area.

Shane Lewis

President and Co-Founder

President and co-founder Shane Lewis knows what it’s like to be a banker, but his love for the SBA industry came later. Shane earned a Bachelors in Managerial Finance from the University of Mississippi and went to work for Suntrust and then Wells Fargo, but his entrepreneurial wanderlust led him into the world of executive search.

He joined the finance arm of a regional search firm in 2016, and the SBA industry almost immediately found him. He has focused exclusively on the sector ever since and has become the trusted partner and advisor of several notable national SBA lenders.

Shane is a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) with 10 years of recruiting experience. He loves hiking, sports, movies, and great books. He is a passionate advocate for the SBA industry and is certainly the most likable headhunter you’ll ever meet (you only need to ask anyone he’s ever placed to validate that fact).

Shane lives in Oxford, MS, the home of his beloved alma mater, with his wife, their two kids, and the ghost of William Faulkner.

Shane-Lewis shane
Dustin Baker

Dustin Baker

CEO and Co-Founder

CEO and co-founder Dustin Baker has built his practice on the strength of his relationships and expertise in the SBA industry. His SBA roots run deep—his first “grown up” job fresh out of school was a 5-year stint at the industry’s trade group, NAGGL, where he had an insider’s view of the industry and forged deep relationships with industry leaders nationwide.

Dustin has recruited in the SBA industry since 2004, including 5 years as a Director for a national finance company headquartered in Dallas, TX. He is endlessly interested in people and their stories. He loves helping leaders craft, cast, and execute on their visions. He imagines himself as a partner to every client and a trusted confidant to every candidate. Maybe that’s why the managers of so many top national SBA lenders have given him the exclusive rights to tell their stories and why he is the first call for so many candidates when they know it’s time to move on.

Dustin recently relocated with his wife and 4 children to the booming city of Tulsa, OK after 16 years in the Dallas, TX area.

Shane Lewis shane

Shane Lewis

President and Co-Founder

President and co-founder Shane Lewis knows what it’s like to be a banker, but his love for the SBA industry came later. Shane earned a Bachelors in Managerial Finance from the University of Mississippi and went to work for Suntrust and then Wells Fargo, but his entrepreneurial wanderlust led him into the world of executive search.

He joined the finance arm of a regional search firm in 2016, and the SBA industry almost immediately found him. He has focused exclusively on the sector ever since and has become the trusted partner and advisor of several notable national SBA lenders.

Shane is a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) with 10 years of recruiting experience. He loves hiking, sports, movies, and great books. He is a passionate advocate for the SBA industry and is certainly the most likable headhunter you’ll ever meet (you only need to ask anyone he’s ever placed to validate that fact).

Shane lives in Oxford, MS, the home of his beloved alma mater, with his wife, their two kids, and the ghost of William Faulkner.

Deep Industry Knowledge

Imagine working with a recruiter who has been a banker, or one who has walked Capitol Hill with SBA Division Managers Lobbying for the 7(a) program.

Imagine working with recruiters who don't just dabble in the SBA sector.

Our team is made up of respected SBA professionals who have deep insight into the industry. That embedded knowledge and credibility are critical when you're trusting us to attract the right kind of people to your team.

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Market Intelligence

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Imagine a confidential advisor who can equip you with real-time, factual market intelligence in a highly specialized industry.

We base our counsel on a decade of research and 25 years of real experience working with other industry leaders who have faced the same challenges.

Should my closers be exempt or non-exempt? How can I tell if my people are really engaged and not just telling me what I want to hear? How do I build a metric-based incentive model for my operations staff? What do industry professionals think of first when they hear my company’s name?

We've been helping clients answer questions like these for many years, which prepares us better than anyone to help you tackle the problems you're facing.

Deep Industry Knowledge

Imagine working with a recruiter who has been a banker, or one who has walked Capitol Hill with SBA Division Managers Lobbying for the 7(a) program.

Imagine working with recruiters who don't just dabble in the SBA sector.

Our team is made up of respected SBA professionals who have deep insight into the industry. That embedded knowledge and credibility are critical when you're trusting us to attract the right kind of people to your team.

Final_6thSt_Pano_small

Market Intelligence

Imagine a confidential advisor who can equip you with real-time, factual market intelligence in a highly specialized industry.

We base our counsel on a decade of research and 25 years of real experience working with other industry leaders who have faced the same challenges.

Should my closers be exempt or non-exempt?

How can I tell if my people are really engaged and not just telling me what I want to hear?

How do I build a metric-based incentive model for my operations staff?

What do industry professionals think of first when they hear my company’s name?

We've been helping clients answer questions like these for many years, which prepares us better than anyone to help you tackle the problems you're facing.

Oxford-Chair-1-crop