Bob Clark Beyond: Business

latest business posts

9th Annual Architizer A+ Awards

When we first built One Hundred Above The Park, we knew that it was going to make an impact with its cutting-edge leaf-shaped design and prime location at one of the most iconic spots in St. Louis. It was an ambitious and creative project that is also Green Globe certified, and it definitely pushes the boundaries of architecture in new and exciting ways. One Hundred was also just named a winner in the 9th Annual Architizer A+ Awards. Celebrating the year’s best buildings and spaces, the Architizer A+ Awards remind all of us in the industry and beyond just how impactful our built world is for our cities and communities.

The Debra and George W. Couch III Biomedical Research Building

One of the most important causes that I support is the search for cures and therapies in the field of rare disease, and it’s part of the reason why I continue to be involved with the Board of Trustees at the University of Chicago Medical Center, the Central Institute for the Deaf, and the Scientific Advisory Council for the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. When Clayco was chosen to help design a new 6-story, 215,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art research lab facility for Washington University School of Medicine, we brought all of our planning and building expertise to the project and ultimately maximized its budget and scope, including adding an additional floor, an additional bay, lab convertibility, and floor-to-floor heights that contained the coordinated MEP systems without excess or costly plenum space.

Todd Weaver — Mechanical Solutions

Todd Weaver is the CEO of Mechanical Solutions Inc., which is an outstanding Minority Business Enterprise headquartered out of St. Louis, Missouri. With a specialization in design/build, engineering, BIM Coordination, installation, and HVAC service, Mechanical Solutions has consistently delivered outstanding results for its clients since its founding in 2006. Throughout its 15-year history, Mechanical Solutions has been an innovator in the HVAC services industry. In 2013, Todd decided to take his company in a new direction, and the business model was changed from a plan & spec contractor to a full-service design-build mechanical contractor in order to keep up with the demand for MBE firms and compete in the wider industry.

Ride the Wave Continues

Yesterday we picked up our Ride the Wave tour in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. We visited several of our job sites across the metro area and it was great to see all of the progress being made on these ambitious projects. First, we stopped off at Project Millie, a 270,000 square-foot warehouse distribution center near the St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Next, we checked up on our Delmar Divine project, which is a renovation and reimagining of the former St. Luke’s Hospital campus that will transform a historic building into an innovative hub for social innovation and enterprise. Our final stop took us to Chesterfield, Missouri, where we visited Wildhorse Village. Once completed, it will be a brand new 80-acre urban center that includes cutting-edge offices, beautiful apartments, and natural public spaces.

Wildhorse Village

In Chesterfield, Missouri, not too far from where I grew up, we’re currently hard at work on a massive multi-use development that’s going to be a complete transformation for the area. Serving as a brand-new urban center for the suburb, Wildhorse Village is going to offer 1 million square feet of office space, 150 for-sale residences, 500 apartments, and 100,000 square feet of retail space that spans across 80 acres of land. We’re delivering on this outstanding project through Clayco’s integrated services that leverage both CRG and Lamar Johnson Collaborative. Once completed, Wildhorse Village will include scenic lakefront locations for working, living, and playing and will include some amazing amenities like boardwalks, parks, an amphitheater, and a boathouse.

PayneCrest

David Payne is an electrical engineer and the CEO of PayneCrest, an award-winning electrical contractor company that handles highly complex electrical and communications projects for commercial and industrial customers nationwide. David acquired PayneCrest around the same time that I started Clayco and has successfully grown his company to what it is today, weathering many of the storms in the industry over the past 35 years. He was even named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014. Like Clayco, PayneCrest has strong ties to the St. Louis community while continuing to grow its presence nationally. We have worked with PayneCrest on important projects like the Washington University School of Medicine Mid Campus Center, and more recently we worked together on Pfizer’s Research and Development Facility. Their expertise in electrical service distribution has helped us build stronger foundations for our buildings and delivered some outstanding results. They take on projects that span industries and consistently help solve challenges with their engineering capabilities.

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.