Bob Clark Beyond: Mentorship

I’ve been lucky to build, to fail, to try again, and to do it alongside people who both challenged me and believed in me.

I’ve also been lucky to have mentors, even when I didn’t know that’s what they were! Some were official — bosses, coaches, advisors. Others were quieter — a conversation at the right time, a book someone handed me, a piece of advice I didn’t understand until years later.

Now, a few decades into this journey, I think a lot about what it means to pass things on. I don’t have all the answers. But I do know this... mentorship matters! Not because one person has it all figured out, but because we’re not meant to go it alone.

Ask Me Anything

MENTORSHIP RESOURCES

Passing it On

Explore

Mentorship

My Mock Death is Today

Mentorship

National Entrepreneur’s Day: Lessons in Collaboration & Growth

Mentorship

Clayco’s 40th Anniversary

Mentorship

Incredible Progress with International Mentoring Program

Ask Me Anything

Ask Away

Mentorship starts with a good question. What’s yours?

Big or small, your questions help shape the conversation. I’ll choose a handful each month to reflect on and share back in future posts.

What's your question?

How can I reach you?

Thanks for contributing to the conversation!

Thank you!

The Mentor’s Mentors

Explore

Mentors Have Been My Secret Weapon!

Thinking back on my mentors reinforces my belief in luck and when it comes your way, lean into it fully. I’m thankful every day for these people who have been, and continue to be, critical to my continuous learning.

Developing a mentor-mentee relationship is a two-way street with lots of give-and-take. I’d like to think my mentors also took away something from the experience too.

Uncle Ken: My Mentor & Founder of St Louis Bread Company

We both cared deeply about our values and the people who would come to make us successful, and we both knew when the businesses needed new partners to join to do things we couldn’t do ourselves.

Ken Rosenthal, friend and mentor to me and many others: born 4-11-1942 and passed peacefully on 2-14-2025, will be remembered fondly.

The Inspirational Jeff Groom, A Cowboy Forever

Jeff had an innate connection to the land and his life was deeply rooted in the values of the West: hard work, honesty, humility, and grit.

It’s with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our dear friend and favorite cowboy, Jeff Groom. A fifth-generation native of the Roaring Fork Valley

My Friend & Mentor: The Exceptional Maxine Clark

Maxine creates purpose-driven strategies for better, safer, and more sustainable services that reimagine life for countless people.

Our society is filled with compassionate people who work daily to bridge the gap communities face with accessing wealth, resources, and opportunities. While the movement toward equality continues to gain momentum, leaders and advocates must unite and do the groundwork necessary to implement sustainable change. One of these exceptional people, who is also my June Inspiration of the Month, is my good friend Maxine Clark. Maxine is the Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer at Build-A-Bear Workshop, and her long-standing career demonstrates record successes in retail innovation and building stakeholder value. She recently received the Entrepreneurial Leadership Award from the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in recognition of her successful mission to continuously practice the “Golden Rule” and inspire children's imaginations everywhere. Her honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Washington University in St. Louis is another representation of the dedication she pours into everything she does to enhance society. Maxine is a pivotal member of the St. Louis community and teaches the youth that if your bank account is full, but your heart is empty, you will not live life to the fullest. She suggests that one of the ways to live the most fulfilling life is to convert passions into actionable plans and turn ideas into modern business realities.