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Beyond the Ordinary

The world is full of extraordinary. Join me in exploring all that sparks creativity and change.

latest inspiration posts

Construction workers pouring and leveling concrete at a job site, wearing safety gear including helmets, gloves, and protective clothing.

Why There's More to the Pour with CSI

Clayco’s CSI team builds lasting structures with concrete expertise, innovation, and workforce training in Hazelwood, MO.

A Year of AI at Clayco

Change is scary. When I first heard about the potential of AI—how it could reshape jobs, blur what machines can do—I felt it, too: that unsettling tug. It’s natural to worry. I worried that AI might widen economic gaps or replace human skills. But then I looked at why we worry, and realized those fears often mirror our greatest ambitions: curing diseases, building sustainable homes, accelerating innovation. What if AI could help solve those fears?

I’m Bananas for this Book about Mark Twain

I've always liked Mark Twain—who doesn't? But author Ron Chernow digs into the man behind the mustache in a new way. Mark Twain isn't just a great biography—it’s one of the best books I’ve read in the last few years. It’s sharp, packed with fascinating details, and laugh-out-loud funny. And in a world that can feel pretty heavy some days, it really cheered me up.

“And always and forever, you’ll be a part of this team. Our team. Graduates of the University of North Carolina,” Mia Hamm told graduates at Spring Commencement. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

June's Inspiration of the Month: Mia Hamm

If you're building something bold — a startup, a career, a movement — then you know this already: talent gets you started, but character keeps you in the game. That’s why Mia Hamm’s recent commencement speech at UNC-Chapel Hill hit home. She didn’t talk about winning World Cups. She talked about how to lead, how to last, and how to show up for the people around you when it matters most.

I Didn’t Graduate from College. Today, I got a Doctorate.

Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Missouri S&T

EXPO CHICAGO 2025 is at Navy Pier!

Another amazing EXPO CHICAGO with the grand Tony Karman! The exhibition runs at Navy Pier until April 27th, bringing together over 170 leading galleries from 36 countries and 93 cities to showcase a diverse exhibit of contemporary works.

ARCHITECHT SPOTLIGHT

Jean Nouveau’s Dynamic Vision

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a building with a dome roof and a body of water

Beyond Book Club

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Cover of the book "Engineering in Plain Sight" by Grady Hillhouse, featuring a colorful illustrated landscape with bridges, tunnels, cranes, roads, and power plants representing various elements of the constructed environment.

Engineering in Plain Sight: A Book That Makes You See Things Differently

Medicine 3.0: how to live a long, strong and happy life

The Legacies of Two Great American Heroes

Inspiration

I have always had an insatiable curiosity

What causes me to get out of bed every morning is driven by inspiration. Ever since I was a little boy, I was inspired by my insatiable curiosity, which caused me to be a reader, a thinker, and a dreamer.

I can remember being inspired by seeing Bobby Kennedy on TV and watching videotapes of Martin Luther King Jr., and being deeply saddened by their assassination even though I was only 10 years old when I experienced all of this.

As a little boy, rocket flight was a big thing. I remember being fascinated by the moon and the stars and the astronauts exploring them.As humans we are achieving remarkable things that only a handful of years before were just in the imagination.

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