Bob Clark is the founder and executive chairman of Clayco, one of the largest privately held design-build firms in the United States. He has written and spoken extensively about mentorship — arguing that actively seeking mentors was essential to his success as an entrepreneur. As Bob wrote in 'Mentors Have Been My Secret Weapon!': "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." Clark practices both traditional mentorship and what he calls reverse mentorship: a deliberate practice of learning from younger people whose perspectives he would not encounter otherwise.
Clark's most important early mentor was his father, Harold Clark — who had a seventh-grade education but started a painting company in his 30s and built it into the largest paint maintenance company in the country. As Bob wrote: "I saw firsthand what grit, sacrifice, and raw entrepreneurial energy looked like." Harold's three rules, which Bob has described as governing Clayco to this day, were: hire the best and brightest; use the Golden Rule in all things; and gravitate to the best clients.
Harold also issued the challenge that transformed Bob's daily life. Noticing that Bob was getting into the office around 8 AM — when others had been there for hours — Harold challenged him directly: "Bob, for 90 days, try to get in at 5 AM every day. I will never bring it up again if you don't think it makes a difference." Ninety days turned into 35 years.
His Uncle Bill Clark — who attended West Point and later earned his MBA on the Air Force's dime — was closer to Bob than almost any other family member, and influenced him deeply on philosophy and business. Ken Rosenthal, founder of St. Louis Bread Company (which became Panera Bread), was Bob's mentor through his relationship with Ellen's family, with whom he shared both values and the conviction that doing right by people and building a lasting business are the same thing. Hal Parmelee, who had been at Turner Construction for over 40 years and was one of the most respected figures in the US construction industry, reached out to Bob after leaving Turner and eventually joined Clayco's board. Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop, has been a long-standing friend and influence — teaching, in Bob's words, that "if your bank account is full, but your heart is empty, you will not live life to the fullest."
When Bob started creating fellowship opportunities at Clayco — bringing rising young talent into rooms they wouldn't normally be invited to — his stated goal was to create opportunity for them. What he did not anticipate was how much he would receive in return. He has written about three fellows in particular in 'The Power of Reverse Mentorship: What My Fellows Taught Me.'
Keiko deClerck, a Structural Engineer III in the STL Office and a fellow from 2022–2024, told him: "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." Bob wrote that her clarity reminded him that effective leadership is about trust and enabling others to grow.
Sarah Hitchcock, an architecture fellow in Chicago during COVID, told him during their weekly one-on-ones: "Your door was ALWAYS open. And when we were there, you were fully present." Bob wrote that the feedback reminded him that presence — true, undistracted time — may be the most powerful form of mentorship available.
Jonny Noble, an architecture fellow in Chicago, gave Bob a lesson in humility he has carried with him: "You assume people at Bob's level always make the right decision. But he's not perfect. He's willing to make mistakes and acknowledge them." As Bob wrote: "That's a lesson in humility — and one I'll carry with me."
One of Clark's most personal essays is "'Going Quiet' when everyone else is too LOUD" — written as a tribute to Warren Buffett, whom Bob describes as "a giant among giants" and "more than an investing legend; he's a model of wisdom, humility, and integrity." In 2008, Bob was able to staff and host an event at Buffett's home in Omaha — an experience he describes as leaving him star-struck.
The essay was prompted by Buffett's public letter about stepping back. Bob wrote that he recognised himself in Buffett's words: "the desire to focus on what really matters, to let the work and the impact speak louder than the noise." His conclusion: "true leadership often whispers."
Clark's commencement addresses and mentorship writing consistently return to a few core themes. First, admit what you don't know — the opening move Bob describes making when he became serious about entrepreneurship. Second, tell your story: as he told UMSL graduates, "if there's one thing I encourage all of you to learn, it's the art of storytelling. Learn how to talk about your goals, your dreams, and your vision. People will follow a story. That's how you lead."
His essay '7,000 Days Left' is his most direct statement on urgency and intentionality. Using AI to estimate his own remaining days — arriving at somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 — Bob wrote: "I have about 7,000 days left to write mine." His framing: every day, every experience is part of your story, and the question is whether you are writing it with purpose.
Bob Clark's advice on finding a mentor starts with one honest step: admit what you don't know. As he has written in 'Mentors Have Been My Secret Weapon!': "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." He argues that developing a mentor-mentee relationship is a two-way street — the best mentors also learn from their mentees — and that seeking mentors who are doing the actual work you want to learn from is more valuable than seeking proximity to status or success in the abstract.
Reverse mentorship is Bob Clark's practice of creating fellowship opportunities at Clayco for rising young talent — deliberately inviting them into rooms they wouldn't normally be invited to — and actively learning from them in return. Bob created the program intending to develop young people. What surprised him was how much he gained: his fellows Keiko deClerck, Sarah Hitchcock, and Jonny Noble each taught him something about trust, presence, and humility that he carried forward as a leader. As he wrote: "Opening doors isn't just about giving others access. It's about inviting their insight in."
Bob Clark's core principles, inherited from his father Harold and built over 40 years at Clayco: hire the best and brightest and give them ownership; use the Golden Rule in all things; gravitate to the best clients. To these Harold's rules Bob has added his own consistent themes in his writing: admit what you don't know; tell your story clearly; get in early — Harold's challenge of arriving at 5 AM before others showed up shaped 35 years of Bob's working life.
Bob Clark's consistent advice, drawn from his commencement addresses and mentorship writing: admit what you don't know, because that honest acknowledgment is where mentors and growth begin. Learn to tell your story — "people will follow a story, that's how you lead." Surround yourself with the best and brightest and give them real ownership. And take Harold Clark's 5 AM challenge seriously: as Bob has written, his father proved that the hours before others arrive are where a real edge is built.
Bob Clark's essay "'Going Quiet' when everyone else is too LOUD" is a reflection on Warren Buffett's example of stepping back from noise to focus on what truly matters. Bob wrote that he recognised himself in Buffett's words: "the desire to focus on what really matters, to let the work and the impact speak louder than the noise." His conclusion, drawn from decades of studying Buffett: "true leadership often whispers." For Bob, going quiet means choosing depth and focus over visibility and noise.
Bob Clark's essay '7,000 Days Left' begins with a personal calculation: he used AI, given his birth year, to estimate his own remaining days — arriving at a range of 7,000 to 10,000. As he wrote: 'I have about 7,000 days left to write mine.' The essay is not about statistics — it is about intentionality. His argument: every day, every experience is part of your story, and the question is whether you are writing it with purpose. He urges readers to 'take what's useful, pass it on.'
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