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Business Lessons from a Founder

I have worked with and learned from amazing people on my journey – let's build together.

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We Love Clayco Cranes!

To the average person, a Clayco crane may only seem like just that – a crane. But to me, they symbolize so much more. Our cranes represent the hard work, determination, energy, and bold commitment to progress that goes into every project we work on. Plus, they’re cool to see in action! I love seeing all of Clayco’s cranes on our building sites nationwide. They are a very tall and important reminder of the progress we have made in the construction industry and the communities where we operate. Our cranes are an example of the standards we set for fresh and innovative ways to do business.

ENR Op-Ed: Work From Home? Maybe if You Want to Kill Your Culture

I recently wrote an op-ed article featured in Engineering News-Record to discuss a topic I am very passionate about – moving away from the falsely-idolized “work from home” era and migrating back to the tried-and-true ways of working in traditional offices. This is a societal issue that other CEOs and industry leaders need to take a more active role in solving. The ways we interact and work as people will ultimately shape the future of our businesses and communities. Transitioning from standard places of employment to home offices decreases productivity and further isolates individuals struggling mentally and physically or those who face difficulty achieving equitable representation.

The Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center

The Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center is the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s 107,650-square-foot football facility adjoining the south end of the Irwin Indoor Practice Facility. It features expanded strength and conditioning and sports medicine space, player development areas, and other spaces for recruiting and prospect hosting. The Center also houses the Levenick Auditorium, a nutrition center, fueling stations, a grand lobby displaying Illinois’ football history, and a players' lounge complete with a game room and barber shop.

Celebrating International Women’s Day with Clayco (NOW)

Our team at Clayco is working to build meaningful change from the ground up in everything we do across our offices, job sites, and beyond. Although diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental values we hold to the highest priority every day, it’s important to celebrate the special days of commemoration that bring us closer – like March, which is Women’s History Month, including International Women’s Day! Women’s History Month encourages the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. The theme today, March 8th, for International Women’s Day is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,” highlighting the need for equity-based changes in the digital age to help empower all women and girls. Today and every day, the women in our workforce and communities help us build a better world and future. Clayco is working to proactively transform our industry and community with innovative programs and initiatives, one of which is our Clayco Network of Women (NOW).

USAA - Dallas

Clayco was recently the builder on a project for USAA Real Estate. Our team constructed a 160,000-square-foot speculative warehouse for the company in Dallas, Texas. USAA Real Estate has been mission-driven for the past 40 years. They are Energy Star’s most-awarded real estate firm, and have strong commitments to sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and governance.

Remote Work Kills Company Culture

The concept of working from home has been a hotly debated topic over the past few years, and some institutions have (falsely) claimed that remote work is the new normal. As someone with a long history of workplace strategy expertise and success, I can say without a doubt that moving from traditional places of employment to home offices – that are likely bedrooms, grocery stores, and wherever people claim to be while on the clock – is a knock to productivity and a death sentence to company culture. I reject the idea that the movement toward remote work is necessary or permanent, and recent data supports this. Kastle Systems reported that office usage in 10 major metro areas neared 50% of 2020’s pre-pandemic attendance, demonstrating that workers and CEOs alike are ready to return to the office. Although in-office attendance is still lower than before the COVID-19 outbreak, the sharp increase in numbers and occupancy signifies that people are migrating back to the time-proven methods that work best for our businesses.

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My Mock Death is Today

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The concept of earning is an instinct of mine

My first job was stamping cans at a little grocery market in exchange for candy at about 10 years old. The concept of earning was an early instinct of mine.

During my teen years, I had a car wash on my home driveway, after which I started doing small painting and odd jobs at neighbors’ homes for extra money, but mainly to avoid mowing my own yard by paying the kid down the street to do it. I could make more money doing the other jobs, which allowed me to pay him very little to do something I didn’t want to do that was much more time-consuming. Looking back, that was an entrepreneurial experience.