My Friend & Mentor: The Exceptional Maxine Clark

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.

Inspiration

Rashid Johnson is a New-York based conceptual artist who was born in 1977 in Chicago, Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbia College in Chicago and his Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Rashid has had numerous solo exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. He is known for his mixed-media works, which incorporate a wide range of materials including shea butter, black soap, ceramic tile, and plants. He explores themes of race, identity, and memory through his art, often using cultural symbols and imagery from African American history.

Impact

Clayco’s Construction Career Development Initiative has been helping bridge the inequality gap in workforce development since its inception in the aftermath of the 2015 Ferguson unrest. We have since aimed to foster the next generation of industry and community transformation by giving students the skills and tools for success by assisting with everything from teaching industry basics to securing job placement. Since the organization’s establishment, we have successfully placed 140 students into full-time roles with local companies! The impact of CCDI has been witnessed and felt by underserved demographics and people across the nation, and it is incredible to have expanded our efforts from St. Louis to Chicago and Phoenix! We aim to continue the program’s growth to serve many more locations and people. Our Clayco team has done an excellent job extending our reach to instill our people-centric and inclusive values by creating customized programs that cater to each city’s unique needs.

Impact

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May 1, 2023

Transforming the Everyday into Stunning Sculptures with El Anatsui

El Anatsui is a Ghanaian sculptor who has gained international recognition for his ground-breaking work in transforming everyday materials into stunning, monumental sculptures. Born in Anyako, Ghana, in 1944, he studied at the College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. In 1975, El began teaching at the Fine Arts Department of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. For more than four decades he was Professor of Sculpture and is now Departmental Head. He recently made the 2023 list of Time’s 100 “Most Influential” people, alongside noteworthy actors, politicians, and personalities. El was honored by the Nigerian art historian Chika Okeke-Agulu, who called him “one of the most impactful artists of our time.”

Impact

Although Pfizer became more of a household name in 2020 for its manufacture and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, it has been a generator of scientific breakthroughs through the cooperation of its talented workforce since its founding in 1849. Pfizer’s vision is to change patients’ lives by fostering innovation that makes the world a healthier place – and Clayco was able to aid in its efforts by developing one of its campuses in Boulder, Colorado. The integrated delivery project renovated two buildings on Pfizer’s 4.5-acre site with advanced facilities like specialized laboratories and equipment, a site focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule cancer treatment, upgraded workstations, collaboration spaces, and more.

Business

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March 28, 2023

Mickalene Thomas Claims Her Space Within the Frame

There's something really special and different about Mickalene Thomas’s art. An African-American contemporary artist and filmmaker from New Jersey, she studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2000, and later received her Master of Fine Arts from the Yale University School of Art in 2002. Mickalene’s work encompasses a range of mediums, including painting, photography, and video installations. She explores issues of identity, representation, and gender, and draws on popular culture and art history. She is best known for her large-scale paintings that feature complex, multi-layered compositions and include bold patterns, bright colors, and glitter.

Impact

Every year on February 28th, individuals and institutions worldwide amplify their efforts to raise awareness for Rare Disease Day. 400 million people worldwide live with a rare disease, and far more are impacted daily by them. By some estimates, rare disease affects 3.5% – 5.9% of the population, and many of those affected are lacking the support that they need. My late wife Ellen passed away after a rare disease diagnosis in 2010. Since then, I’ve done what I can to invoke sustainable change to better the lives of patients, families, and carers. The Clayco Foundation is committed to supporting meaningful research to find treatments and a cure for Retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy (RVCL), a rare genetic disease, year-round.

Impact

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February 28, 2023

Deconstruction to Reveal What Lies Beneath with Derrick Adams

A person whose work I truly admire is Derrick Adams, a multidisciplinary New York-based artist. His installations include painting, collage, sculpture, performance, video, and sound. Through his art, he looks at how popular culture influences people’s views of themselves. Derrick has an MFA from Columbia University and a BFA from Pratt Institute. He is also an alumnus of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Space Program.

Impact

Clayco and Hourigan Construction collaborated to provide design-build services for Dominion Energy’s new office tower in downtown Richmond, Virginia. Like Clayco, Hourigan aims to enhance communities through its integrated services and we are continuing this vision with this transformative 20-story project. The 1 million-square-foot development spans a full city block and includes a high-performance workplace for over 1,000 employees, street-level retail, employee amenities, and parking. To maintain environmental goals, the building is certified LEED Gold and implements various sustainability strategies like energy-efficient mechanical and electrical systems, an exterior landscaped terrace that captures and utilizes rainwater, and more. This is especially significant for Dominion Energy as the company is committed to safely providing reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy and achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050.

Business

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January 27, 2023

Dominion Energy’s Thomas F. Farrell Building

Myrlande Constant’s Paintings with Beads

Myrlande Constant is a Haitian textile artist born in 1968 specializing in Vodou-themed flags. Constant was born in Port-au-Prince, where she learned the art of beading while working with her mother in a wedding dress factory. After quitting that job because her employers wouldn’t pay her, she took a severance pay of knowledge and bags filled with beads – and went on to become one of the most celebrated artists for making Drapo Vodou. Constant started making Vodou flags in the 1990s in an entirely male environment and ultimately became the first woman in Haiti to apply the tambour technique in her work. She radically shifted her nation’s traditional religious art by using glass beads instead of sequins. Constant also prefers constructing large-scale tableaus, describing her work as "painting with beads."

Impact

I am so saddened to hear of the passing of my good friend, George Paz, former Express Scripts chairman and CEO, who passed away yesterday. In business I often say, “all I want is what I want when I want it.” George Paz was even more demanding than that. He wanted it, he wanted it to be perfect, he wanted it right now, and he wanted to know as much about the details as anyone. He was demanding, smart, no nonsense, and incredibly passionate.

Adventure

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October 26, 2022

Ayana V Jackson Contextualizes History through Curated Moments

Ayana V. Jackson is an American contemporary artist, photographer, and filmmaker who is among the most talented artists working today. She was raised in East Orange, New Jersey, where her family has lived for generations. Jackson’s family dates back to Lawnside, the first Black settlement in New Jersey. Her grandmother, Angenetta Still Jackson, is a descendant of Leah Arthur Jones, a member of the founding family in the region. Jackon’s grandfather, J. Garfield Jackson, was also a significant community member as Essex County's first African American principal, and there is an East Orange public school named after him.

Impact

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Inspiration

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October 21, 2022

Clayco Recognizes Construction Inclusion Week

Within Our Walls Construction Inclusion Week is the perfect time to acknowledge Clayco’s commitment to building awareness around the need to improve diversity and inclusion in the construction industry. Our team has committed to these initiatives through Clayco Rising and beyond, aiming to create meaningful change from the ground up and build equitable opportunities and relationships through our partners, minority youth mentorships, charitable foundation, community engagement, and so much more.

Impact