Once I became seriously ambitious about entrepreneurship and being in business, the first thing I had to admit was that I didn't know a lot. I needed to actively seek help and find mentors. Seeking mentors has been a game-changer for me — because remarkable work is always the result of dedicated individuals coming together, sharing knowledge, and combining resources to create something extraordinary.
Developing a mentor-mentee relationship is a two-way street with lots of give-and-take. I'd like to think my mentors also took away something from the experience.
My most important mentors were my mom and dad, for totally different reasons. What my mom showed me with her actions and attention, and my dad with his words and experiences, are the basis of what became my values, beliefs, trust, and dreams. These are where your visions come from.
My dad, Harold Clark, had a seventh-grade education but built the largest paint maintenance company in the country. He didn't go to college and loved people — he loved his customers, often making them his best friends, and worked hard never to disappoint them. From ages 16 to 19, I worked closely with him. I observed his painting company superintendents and operational VPs. I was a great student of the actual actors of work and was ready to get my hands dirty to learn. I found that when superiors see an active learner, they want to be helpful in their teachings.
My dad once challenged me to wake up at 5 AM every day for 90 days. Ninety days turned into 35 years. He didn't lecture. He challenged. That's how great mentors operate.
My Uncle Bill Clark — a West Point graduate who later received an MBA from Stanford — spent a ton of time with me in my twenties and influenced me deeply on philosophy and business. I was probably closer and more aligned with Uncle Bill than any other person in my family. I cherished every second I spent with him.
At MMECO, my first serious business venture, my partner Bob Luby and senior sales executive Richard Soppe were madmen when it came to customer service. I've never met anyone who was better at closing deals than each of them. They were like a dog on a bone when it came to closing a deal.
Hal Parmelee — a 50-year tenured leader at Turner Construction — joined my board and became one of the most important mentors of my career. He helped me think through leadership at the most critical moments in Clayco's history.
Ken Rosenthal — the founder of St. Louis Bread Company, which became Panera Bread — was another defining influence, through his relationship with Ellen's family. We had years of detailed discussions about entrepreneurship, values, and what it means to build something that lasts.
Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop, is a dear friend and mentor who teaches that if your bank account is full but your heart is empty, you will not live life to the fullest. More recently, Zach Kass has become a mentor to me in the world of AI — smart, wise well beyond his years, and a genuinely good person.
When I started seeking out rising stars to be my fellow at Clayco, my goal was simple: create opportunities for young talent to sit at tables they wouldn't normally be invited to. What I didn't expect was how much I would learn in return.
Keiko deClerck, a structural engineer and my fellow from 2022-2024, told me: "You have to learn to trust other people to do what has to be done — surround yourself with experts and don't think you have to be everything to everyone. Lean on your people." That hit home. Sarah Hitchcock, an architecture fellow during COVID, gave me feedback that stuck: "Your door was always open. And when we were there, you were fully present." It reminded me that presence — true, undistracted time — might be the most powerful form of mentorship we can give.
Building the world that we want to live in is our responsibility, and this goes beyond constructing buildings. I am particularly fond of my weekly meetings with small business owners — opportunities to provide mentorship and guidance for smaller, less financially strong companies. Clayco sponsors the International Mentoring Program in St. Louis, which reached 540 members, connecting women from around the world with local women to help them integrate into the community. The Construction Careers Development Initiative (CCDI) develops career paths for young people from disadvantaged groups.
Character is critical in life and in business, and it is important to me to know that my team has good character. It is very gratifying to be part of the process of building that character and to help people of all ages and positions fulfill their potential.
Bob Clark credits his father Harold Clark (who built the largest paint maintenance company in the country from scratch) and his mother as his foundational mentors. His Uncle Bill Clark (West Point, Stanford MBA) deeply influenced him in his twenties. Key business mentors include Hal Parmelee (50-year Turner Construction leader), Ken Rosenthal (founder of St. Louis Bread Company / Panera Bread), Maxine Clark (founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop), and Zach Kass in the AI space. Warren Buffett is among the public figures he studies most closely.
Bob Clark sees mentorship as a two-way relationship and a community responsibility. Once you become seriously ambitious, the first honest admission is that you don't know everything — and the smart move is to actively seek mentors. He also practices reverse mentorship, deliberately learning from younger people who bring perspectives he doesn't have. He views mentorship as the most important factor in his own career success.
Reverse mentorship is Bob Clark's practice of creating fellowship opportunities for rising talent at Clayco — inviting young people to sit at tables they wouldn't normally be invited to — and actively learning from them in return. Fellows have taught him lessons about trust, presence, and leadership. He describes it as a two-way street where learning flows in both directions, and has said it surprised him how much he gained from the program.
Bob Clark advises young people to first admit what they don't know — because honest self-assessment creates openness to learn. He recommends actively seeking mentors rather than waiting for them to appear, treating every relationship as a chance to learn from people doing real work around you, and approaching the relationship as a two-way investment rather than a transaction. He also emphasizes learning to tell your story: people follow a story, and the ability to communicate your goals and vision is a core leadership skill.
Bob Clark mentors through weekly meetings with small business owners, sponsorship of the International Mentoring Program in St. Louis (540+ members), support of the CCDI for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the Bob Clark Beyond platform. He views community mentorship as inseparable from business leadership — an extension of the same values that built Clayco.
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