Dr. Bobby Baker obtained his chemical engineering degree and doctorate of medicine at the University of Louisville. He then specialized in Radiation Oncology and attended the University of Florida and completed his training as Chief Resident of Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.
He was asked to design and construct his first cancer center in Ashland, KY in 1985 and proceeded to open the Tri-State Regional Cancer Center. A few years later, he established the Cancer Center of Charleston, WV. In 1993, he opened the Pacific Cancer Institute in Maui, Hawaii and served as the President and Medical Director until 2015, when he sold the business and moved to Charleston, where his wife, Julie, had been on staff of MUSC in Blood Banking years prior.
Of note, he opened the Cancer Institute of Guam in 1995 and operated it approximately 7 years before it was destroyed by Typhoon Pongsona. Because of building cancer centers around the globe, he became self-taught in developing and managing commercial real estate. Thus, starting Baker-Investments in Charleston which focuses on Triple Net leasing and other commercial ventures.
Dr. Baker has always enjoyed leadership roles and served as the Chief of Staff of Maui Memorial Medical Center, and chaired several other committees. He also has a great interest in the non-profit sector and has served on the board of organizations like; Hospice, The American Cancer Society, The United Way, Boy Scouts of America as President, Board of Trustees for Seabury Hall College Preparatory School for 10 years, and was the founder of the Pacific Cancer Foundation (PCF) which is in its 12th year of providing services to underprivileged cancer patients such as transportation, food, counseling, access to specialists and other services not covered by insurance. PCF went from a mere idea to a successful organization with an annual operating budget of over half a million dollars.
One of his most enjoyable times was becoming a Scout Master for 5 years and seeing both of his sons earn their Eagle Scout rank. He is a strong believer in giving back to his community. He has also been recognized for giving back to his medical profession by being inducted as a Fellow in both the American College of Radiology and the American College of Radiation Oncology.
Julie attended Loyola Marymount College and the University of Kentucky. After finishing college, she obtained her national certification as a medical technologist where she began her career in Blood Banking with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Later, she continued her career at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in the Hematology Department.
After several years at U of L, she joined the University of Florida’s Dept. of Hematology & Oncology. Her work in the field of coagulation studies lead her to Temple University’s Hematology program in Philadelphia where she worked in some of the initial studies in the advent of Tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA), now used as a first line treatment in the prevention of stroke progression.
Julie has always had a deep appreciation and interest in non-profit work. She served on the Children’s Justice Center’s Board of Directors in Maui, Hawaii for 5 years. She was the founding President of the Pacific Cancer Foundation, now in its 12th year of operation with a budget of over $500,000. She continued to serve on the board for over 6 years and started the Christmas fundraiser for the foundation that netted over $100,000. This has become the “party of the year” in Maui, according to many who attend it annually. It remains a significant portion of the annual budget.
Her work has led to the legacy that the Dr. Bobby and Julie Baker Foundation was created upon by her contributions to several societies that serve desperate animals that need our help. She has sponsored the purchase and training of qualified service dog’s in Hawaii and was able to ultimately see them placed with deserving children, adults and veterans with disabilities where a service animal completely changed their lives. Her passion to give back to our community is only superseded by her desire to put ideas into action.
Robert “Alex” Baker, better known as Alex, graduated with a B.S. In Business Administration with a major in Finance. He went on to complete his M.B.A in Finance at the University of Louisville. Although his focus of interest has been in finance, he has maintained a love of entrepreneurship and has pursued his self-made career in investment strategies with a focus on residential and commercial real estate.
His real estate career flourished in the fix and flip sector renovating houses in his early twenties by performing much of the labor himself. He has since rehabbed dozens of homes while building an experienced team and strategic partnerships along the way. He found his niche in the lending sector in commercial loans to funds real estate and commercial investment projects. He has started and ran several successful companies in the real estate industry and has also developed strategic alliances nationwide. His education and experience in real estate and finance have afforded him the ability to seek qualified and secure investments with a return that would excite any savvy investor. This experience lead to his founding the Coastal Equity Group, LLC, a private equity fund, headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, that connects seasoned investors with exceptional real estate opportunities. He believes that it is through relationship building and sharing opportunities that a successful pathway for the future is achieved.
His non-profit experience began at a young age when he raised $10,000 worth of Christmas gifts to be distributed, often as the only gift of the year, for 100’s of abused children as a project with the Children’s Justice Center of Maui, Hawaii. Now he gets to continue by giving forward to our communities by including several of Coastal Equity Group’s home rehabilitation projects in low income neighborhoods. He believes that improving one home and one neighborhood at a time will make a difference to many lives and return a sense of pride of ownership to families who have been forgotten by many. Alex was very enthusiastic to join our executive board and continue securing and further developing the foundation’s legacy.
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