May’s Artist of the Month: Lauren Halsey

Lauren Halsey is one of the most exciting young artists working today. She produces standalone artworks in sculpture and mixed media, and site-specific installations, particularly in the South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles where her family has lived for several generations. She has the vision of an activist, and her work explores the relationship between architecture and community engagement in urban centers. Her sculptural environments and flat works combine imagery from contemporary life in Harlem and LA with ancient Egypt, outer space, technicolor, and funk.

Impact

It is a real honor to be recognized by ENR’s editors as Midwest Contractor of the Year, and it’s something that speaks to the hard work and commitment of our team members across the country who helped make this happen. Last year was a challenge for everyone and being able to come out on the other side stronger than before is something that I’m grateful for. When other companies were cautiously pulling back, we decided to spring forward into action. We made a lot of decisions to fight back against COVID-19, and we always went with what felt right and did so with the safety of our people in mind. From working with the Center for Disease Control to develop better guidelines to keep the construction industry working, to encouraging employees to get vaccinated and doing $3.8 billion in 2020 revenue, Clayco has proven that we can always get it done, no matter what.

Adventure

•

June 29, 2021

June's Featured Artist: Nathaniel Mary Quinn

Nathaniel Mary Quinn is an artist whose incredible work stays with you. Known for his captivating collage-like portraits, Quinn has created a distinct style that is a unique blend between mixed media drawings and paintings of fragmented figures that play with the viewer’s perception of identity. Quinn was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, where he grew up in the Robert Taylor Homes public housing project. It was here that he discovered an early passion for drawing, and when was in the ninth grade, he received a scholarship to study at Culver Academy boarding school in Indiana. While enrolled there, Quinn was told that his mother had passed away suddenly, and when returning home from school for Thanksgiving, he also found that the rest of his family had abandoned his childhood home with no explanation.

Impact

In Chesterfield, Missouri, not too far from where I grew up, we’re currently hard at work on a massive multi-use development that’s going to be a complete transformation for the area. Serving as a brand-new urban center for the suburb, Wildhorse Village is going to offer 1 million square feet of office space, 150 for-sale residences, 500 apartments, and 100,000 square feet of retail space that spans across 80 acres of land. We’re delivering on this outstanding project through Clayco’s integrated services that leverage both CRG and Lamar Johnson Collaborative. Once completed, Wildhorse Village will include scenic lakefront locations for working, living, and playing and will include some amazing amenities like boardwalks, parks, an amphitheater, and a boathouse.

Business

I recently had the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with Jeff Yoders and Aileen Cho for ENR’s Critical Path Podcast. It has always been one of my favorites to listen to, and it’s a great platform for industry experts to share their knowledge and views on everything that’s happening in construction. During the Exec Talk, we spoke about a wide range of topics, including the terrific response I’ve received from the Ride the Wave tour, the many ways Clayco has adapted during the pandemic to keep our team members safe, and how important I think it is to get everyone back in the office. I also shared some of my thoughts on OSHA’s vaccine guidelines, current trends in the economy, and how far we still have to go to improve employee diversity in the construction industry.

Adventure

•

May 19, 2021

McCormick Distribution Center

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that good food brings people together. Any family chef knows just how important different spices are to bringing out the flavors of all kinds of dishes.

Business

•

Inspiration

•

May 14, 2021

In Memory of Art Gensler

Art Gensler was a true leader and a constant changemaker in the field of architecture, and his impact will never be forgotten. Over the years, our firms worked together on over 30 projects, and each one of them is a testament to Art’s unyielding commitment to create buildings that changed our lives for the better.

Adventure

•

May 11, 2021

In Memory of Helmut Jahn

I am so saddened to hear of the passing of my good friend, Helmut Jahn, who passed away in a tragic bicycle accident. He was truly one of the great architects of the world, and also one of my greatest inspirations. By designing iconic buildings like Terminal 1 at O’Hare International Airport and the James R. Thompson Center, Helmut played an important role in shaping Chicago’s architectural landscape, as well as its continued growth and future. Helmut also designed one of my all-time favorite projects, The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library at The University of Chicago. He had a personality as big as the scope of his buildings, and he was definitely a “star-chitect” who brought so much joy and light into the lives of all those who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Adventure

•

May 10, 2021

Ride the Wave: Week 3 Update

We headed way out west on our most recent leg of the Ride the Wave tour, and we sure saw a lot of great things happening on the ground at all of our building sites this past week. We started Monday off with a visit to Washington, and I stopped by Project Fireball in Spokane Valley and Quincy MWH06 in Wenatchee. I also visited Project Winlock in Winlock on Tuesday morning before heading on to the NP Chewy project in Reno, Nevada and Project Shelby in Sacramento, California. On Wednesday, we toured Project Big Bird in Tracy, California and a confidential facility in Bakersfield, California, before heading down to Otay Mesa (San Diego) to see progress on the Arcilla and Herminito building sites. We finished the week with stops at “The Cubes” and 303 Glendale, two of our new projects in Glendale, Arizona.

Business

•

May 7, 2021

Clayco’s West Coast Expansion

Clayco is experiencing record-breaking growth, and so much of what we are doing has been concentrated on the West Coast, including states like Nevada and Arizona. This area of the country is growing in almost every market sector, and it has emerged as a center of commerce, innovation, and exploration on so many fronts. We’re proud to announce that we are expanding Clayco’s presence with the opening of a new office in the Los Angeles area to support all of our western work.

Business

•

May 5, 2021

Pfizer R&D Facility - Chesterfield, Missouri

At Clayco, we believe that every one of our projects is important and play a crucial role in the neighborhoods and communities they are located in. Over the past year, perhaps none of these buildings has taken on a more important role for the entire world than Pfizer’s new research and development facility located just outside of my hometown of St. Louis in Chesterfield, Missouri. Designed in accordance with LEED sustainability certification standards, Pfizer’s cutting-edge research and development campus includes a combined 295,000 square feet of flexible laboratories and open office space, supporting its development capabilities in biologics and vaccine therapy. This brand-new project has not only become an important hub for Pfizer in the Midwest region, but is also currently the place where every Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose originates.

Business

March’s featured artist of the month is Brooklyn-born, Candida Alvarez. She is well-known for her bold and colorful creations such as the piece featured above. I became acquainted with her work through her involvement within Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago. The painting featured in the Clark Collection, titled “No Chickens,” is particularly special because we added it while it was still being made. Since 1998, Alvarez has been a tenured professor of Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Alvarez works in a range of diverse mediums, including but not limited to sculpture, collage, and painting. Her work is often highly complex. It is full of pop, historical, and modern art references, while also incorporating world news and personal memories.

Impact

•

Inspiration

•

March 21, 2021