a group of people wearing hard hats and jackets

Business Lessons from a Founder

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

latest business posts

The Art & Science of Building Wildhorse Village

Wildhorse Village is coming alive! This multi-use development in Chesterfield, Missouri, will serve as a brand-new urban center and feature incredible amenities and even signature artwork. This project perfectly demonstrates how our team at Clayco works to embody the art and science of building. The village combines innovative design and luxuries to give residents and visitors a unique and positive experience. It will not only offer 1 million square feet of office space, 150 for-sale residences, 500 apartments, and 100,000 square feet of retail space that spans 80 acres of land, but also inspirational artwork.

Taylor Excavating & Wrecking Inc.

Taylor Excavating is a family-run business that has served Chicago and its surrounding suburbs since 2002. Its team is highly specialized in heavy equipment and works hard to provide clients with safe and cost-effective demolition and excavation services.

LJC Creates First Bank HQ

Lamar Johnson Collaborative is collaborating with First Bank to build its 85,000-square-foot innovative headquarters in Creve Coeur, Missouri. The facility reimagines the workplace and is being constructed for the well-being and forward-thinking future of the company’s workforce and clients. LJC’s team is designing the building to reflect the workplace changes that followed the pandemic and encourage employees to socialize, host meetings, and collaborate on projects. The structure will feature a courtyard-style office that offers flexibility between landscapes and provides natural light for each desk, with quality space and great views for each team member. First Bank’s goal is to develop a building that will last for generations and is a landmark in Creve Coeur and beyond.

Topping Out Skye on 6th

Clayco recently completed the vertical construction of our 26-story Skye on 6th project in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona’s Roosevelt Row Arts District – and we celebrated the milestone with a Topping Out celebration! The 357,850 square foot structure was designed for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification and will contain 309 apartments, 6,500 square feet of ground-level retail space, and a 78,000-square-foot parking garage. Shepley Bulfinch is the designer for Skye on 6th and the building is owned by Hubbard Street Group. The high rise is scheduled for completion in summer 2023.

POPCourts! Project Transforms Chicago West Side

Lamar Johnson Collaborative created the transformative POPCourts! project on Chicago’s West Side. The 7,000-square-foot development is versatile and works as both basketball courts and an outdoor community plaza in the Austin Neighborhood. The project was developed in collaboration with Mayor Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West initiative, which brings together groups to invest in neighborhoods and drive inclusive growth throughout the city. The space hosts food trucks, farmers’ markets, and impactful murals by local artists that feature influential leaders like Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman, and Maya Angelou.

Shambaugh & Son

Clayco enjoys working with Shambaugh & Son as our subcontractor on Crossroads 55 and the Cubes at Country Club Hills. Shambaugh specializes in a range of construction engineering for industrial, food processing, commercial, institutional, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and biofuel projects. Shambaugh & Son collaborated with Clayco on CrossRoads 55, a 1 million-square-foot speculative warehouse for Venture One and USAA in Channahon, Illinois. The building was completed in under six months despite delays with municipality processes and weather issues – which is a testament to our strong partnerships with determined developers.

BUSINESS

My Mock Death is Today

Read now

Business

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.