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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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Crain’s Chicago Business Who’s Who

The Crain's Chicago Business Who's Who list is back after five years! The team at Crain’s does a great job of developing a list of more than 300 names that you should know in Chicago.

Vivid Seats Chicago HQ Designed by LJC

Vivid Seats has a new headquarters in Chicago! The 40,600-square-foot corporate HQ for the leading online ticket marketplace was designed by Clayco’s partner company Lamar Johnson Collaborative. The facility enables a hybrid work model with collaborative workspaces and an area for live events, a gym, coffee shop, bar, rooftop, and a food court in the historic Marshall Field Building downtown. All excellent reasons for people to get back to the office! Like how our work in design and building connects people through the development of spaces, Vivid Seats operates on the belief that “Life Happens Live” and unites people through one of the widest selections of events and tickets in North America. This facility helped the company construct a new identity, celebrate the brand, and prove to its team that there is no replacement for the creativity, cooperation, and innovation that comes from working together in person.

National Design/Build Services

National Design Build Services (NDBS) was founded in 2007 in my home state of Missouri and has since become a leader in the HVAC Mechanical Services industry. Clayco highly values companies that share our values of community commitment and best-in-class products and deliveries – which is why NBDS has served as a subcontractor on more than 40 of our projects! NDBS has worked with us on SCAD developments, Blue Engine Plant Expansion, Gestamp Production Facility, Jet Aviation, Volkswagen, and, most recently, the McCormick Distribution Center in Baltimore. The company focuses on energy efficiency and develops the best possible solutions for each project, which is one of the reasons our Clayco team collaborates so well with theirs as we work to transform the environments around us. NBDS designs are environmentally conscious and also limit the cost impact to building owners for the life-cycle of the facility.

Fort Wayne International Airport's (FWA) Terminal Expansion

Our Clayco team was awarded the Fort Wayne International Airport's (FWA) East Terminal Expansion project in Indiana! Construction on the 35,500-square-foot renovation and expansion will begin in May 2023 as part of the airport's Project Gateway. It will ultimately enhance the terminal building to support continued growth and create an appealing and efficient passage to the local community.

SK Battery America

Clayco is delivering excellence on SK Battery America’s first electric vehicle battery factory in America! The 2.4 million-square-foot facility in Commerce, Georgia, represents one of the largest single investments in a job-creating initiative in the state’s history, and the largest in over a decade. The SK Battery America site will employ over 2,000 people by 2025, with a production capacity reaching 9.8 GWh by 2022 – an incredible benefit to the state economy and surrounding community. SK is one of the biggest global producers of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and fully-electric automobiles and vehicle manufacturers, including Volkswagen in Chattanooga. This new development will accommodate the increasing demand for “greener” vehicle solutions by producing an effective supply chain of elements needed for electric cars that can combat climate change for individuals and businesses alike.

Clayco 2022: A Day in the Life

I always enjoy Clayco’s “Day in the Life” annual tradition, where we share the incredible people, projects, and experiences our team has had over the past year. This much-anticipated photo book is the result of snapshots sent to us from our 2,800+ Clayco team members across North America and beyond. The renderings, sketches, webcam images, and photos connect us through the impactful stories and work we share.

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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.