Bob Clark Beyond: Business

latest business posts

Stock & Associates

George Stock is a civil engineer and the president of the firm Stock & Associates, based in St. Louis. He is also a great friend, citizen, and family man. We started our careers around the same time and have helped each other hone our crafts. In total, we have worked on over 1000 projects together all across the country.

Dollar General

Texas Clayco is always thinking of the bigger picture. We are at our best when we can work on large-scale projects, developing long-term relationships with our clients. It’s always fantastic when we are able to work with companies on projects that grow the economy, create long-term jobs, and impact communities in a positive way.

Blue Origin Engine Facility Named ENR’s Best in Manufacturing in the US

I am proud that every one of our employees at Clayco is committed to producing top-quality work across the country. Although we don’t do what we do to win awards, it’s always great to be recognized for the work that we do. Our Blue Origin Engine Facility project has been named Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) Best of the Best winners for 2020. We were already named Best of Manufacturing for the Southeast, and now have won the same category for the entire country.

Centene Centre - Clayton, Missouri

My relationship with Centene dates back to 2008 when Clayco won its first project with the company to build a 21-story office tower, complete with a beautifully-designed public plaza and a 1,700-space parking garage. Working with Mr. Neidorff at Centene has been one of my greatest experiences. This first project was completed in 2010 and brought new life to Clayton, Missouri. Before the construction of Centene’s headquarters, the area was suffering from the financial collapse brought on by the economic recession. Clayco managed to develop a strategic financing plan, resulting in the entire facility being nearly fully leased in less than 15 months. The entire district was elevated as businesses quickly moved in and more people were present and supporting the businesses in the area. After this first success, of which we are very proud, Clayco was awarded the $770 million project of expanding Centene’s headquarters, providing a new structure that is adjacent to the current Centene Plaza. This expansion is also expected to create 2,000 new jobs for the state of Missouri, which is particularly important in these times.

Delmar Divine - St. Louis, Missouri

Delmar Divine, in my hometown of St. Louis, is a project that is near and dear to me. Located on Delmar Boulevard, the project is currently underway turning the original building of St. Luke’s Hospital into a community hub for at least 30 of St. Louis’s nonprofit organizations. Beyond that, it will be the epicenter for the transformation of an entire community. It is a rare example of a project that doesn’t necessarily excite me from a building perspective, but because of the potential it has to positively impact a community that has long been neglected. The building itself has a symbolic significance in the neighborhood. St. Luke’s was important historically because it was a catalyst for hospitals becoming a place of training, research, and medical advancement. In the same way, Delmar Divine proposes to be a place of social innovation and advancement. It will do so by providing the space and the resources to nonprofits who are doing important community work. St. Louis is a national leader in terms of nonprofits, and Delmar Divine will help to increase their impact and bring about shifts in the neighborhood. It will not, however, be a space solely for nonprofits — Delmar Divine will also have a community meeting space, 150 residential units, and a cafe for the tenants, residents, and surrounding community.

Titan Electric

For over 12 years, Titan Electric has been a strong partner for many of Clayco’s projects in the Chicago market. Successfully performing design-build electrical work, they’ve helped us quickly complete complicated projects such as the Zurich North American Headquarters parking garage, Cook County Hospital, Berner Foods in Cherry Valley, IL, Project Tarpon (Amazon traditional non-sort), and Crossroads building “A” in Channahon, IL, among many others. Titan Electric consistently works to find cost-effective ways to adhere to budget constraints on projects, all while delivering top quality work, with the utmost attention paid to safety. Led by Vice President Derek Olenek, the communication, planning, coordination, and overall leadership have led to projects being finished on time and achieving excellence in terms of client satisfaction. Olenek is always the first to say “How can I help?” or “What can I do?” when a hurdle presents itself in the midst of a project. Titan Electric is a partner that I never have to worry about on a project team. They help lead the way and get it done, time and again.

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.