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

A young artist whose work I admire immensely is Marcellina Akpojotor. She is from Nigeria and her art explores female empowerment and the roles of women in African society. She says she was drawn to art from an early age and spent a lot of her childhood observing her father, a sign maker in Lagos. After school, she would watch him working in his studio, learning calligraphy, painting, stenciling and drawing.

Inspiration

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August 30, 2022

Supporting Women in Construction and Beyond

At Clayco, our culture is focused on going beyond our walls to invest in the individuals on our team and the communities we impact. The White House announced Women’s Equality Day on August 26th, which was the perfect time to recognize the incredible women that make up our societies and deserve equity, respect, and inclusion. To commemorate this day, I had the amazing opportunity to discuss topics that focused on women and opportunities at Clayco with Clayco NOW (Network of Women) in a Moderated Panel Discussion with over 320 people. There were a lot of great takeaways from the panel, such as the importance of staying committed to goals and achieving them through effective plans. Netta Jenkins, a Global Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, was also a featured guest speaker and shared her experience and knowledge on the importance of DEI initiatives and innovation. Our panel speakers also spoke about the importance of having a voice, asking for what you want, and supporting others along the way.

Impact

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Business

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Mentorship

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August 26, 2022

Clayco Takes on SCAD Indian Street Project

Clayco is taking on a 250,000-square-foot residence hall project in Savannah, Georgia! The site is close to several of Savannah College of Art and Design’s (SCAD) facilities which have a large student population with no nearby housing. Because of the location and lack of available living space, this project presents a unique opportunity to provide more housing for students and create a statement building that will be visible from the downtown area.

Business

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August 24, 2022

Delmar DivINe Reaches New Milestone

I am proud to announce that Clayco has reached a significant milestone on our Delmar Divine project in my hometown of St. Louis. We have been converting the Old 1904 St. Luke’s Hospital Campus into a mixed-use building with 150 apartments, 30 nonprofit tenants, and retail businesses. Our inspection by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was completed last week and the owner started moving in their first phase of residents over the weekend! This project is the epicenter for innovating an entire community that has long been neglected. Even with several obstacles, Clayco managed the project for 563 days without a recordable injury on the commercial project and 215 days on the residential project — that is pretty amazing! Our top priority as a company is to make sure that our team is operating safely, which is why every day is safety day at Clayco and our year-round commitment to the Safe + Sound Campaign is an important recognition of our values and testament to that. We continuously work to have a safety and health program in place with management leadership, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards.

Business

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August 17, 2022

A Riveting Read – “Boundless: The Rise, Fall, and Escape of Carlos Ghosn”

I recently read the fantastic book “Boundless: The Rise, Fall, and Escape of Carlos Ghosn,” by two Wall Street Journal reporters Nick Kostov and Sean McLain. It was a riveting read about the success and alleged crimes of business executive Carlos Ghosn who made his career at Michelin in Brazil, Renault in France, and Nissan in Japan. You will have a hard time putting this book about the CEO-turned-fugitive down – it’s entertaining, fun, and to the point! Ghosn had many global ties and a unique experience as he was born in the Amazon, raised in Beirut, and educated in Paris. He gained prominence through executive positions in multinational companies, earning nicknames like the Le Cost Killer for his business savvy skills and Mr. 7-Eleven for his tireless dedication to his work. People admired Ghosn and believed him to be the leading innovator of his generation. However, once the fame and glory went to his head, he became greedier and began down the path to disgrace.

Inspiration

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August 15, 2022

ABCO Electrical Construction & Design, LLC

It was great to collaborate with ABCO Electrical Construction & Design LLC as a subcontractor for Clayco. The company has serviced the Chicagoland area for more than 15 years and provides full-service electrical contracting from design and engineering to the complete installation of electrical systems. They specialize in various residential, commercial, and industrial projects and partnered with Clayco on our Central Steel & Wire and The Cubes at Country Club Hills projects. Central Steel & Wire is an 894,300-square-foot industrial warehouse and distribution center in University Park, Illinois. It includes 38,000 square feet of total office space and the warehouse consists of 100 ft x 30 ft internal column bases and twenty 20-ton bridge cranes. Clayco worked as the design-builder for the center and has constructed over a half-dozen facilities in the University Park area overall.

Business

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August 11, 2022