Scholarships & Education Access

A large group of smiling family members and friends stand together outside the Clark Family Branch of the St. Louis County Library, posing for a photo in front of the modern glass-and-wood building.

A Place for All of Us: Inside the Clark Family Branch

Bob Clark reflects on the real impact of the Clark Family Branch—a space built for belonging, learning, and community.

The Future of STL at Cardinal Ritter College Prep

The future of St. Louis is HERE! We had a very inspiring visit to Cardinal Ritter College Prep in the city last week.

Innovation, Community, and Learning Inside the Clark Family Branch

The Clark Family Branch stands as a beacon of learning, creativity, and community in St. Louis. As the largest branch in the St. Louis County Library system, this 74,000-square-foot space offers an unparalleled experience for residents of all ages, combining state-of-the-art resources with a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Bending the Arc Toward Justice on MLK Day & Beyond

MLK Day reminds us of what’s possible when we don’t back down from challenges—no matter how intimidating they might seem.

Elevating Literacy with the Inspirational Jurema Gorham

Looking at her accomplishments, it seems that there is little Jurema Gorham can’t do, from being a mompreneur and educator to a non-profit founder, Ph.D candidate, holder of a couple fellowships, and beyond.

Skye’s the Limit: Redefining Urban Living In Phoenix

Skye on 6th is officially complete! Clayco has been busy transforming skylines in the “New West Coast '' across Arizona and beyond – and this 26-story project in the Roosevelt Row Arts District in Phoenix is one of the latest additions.

Empowering First-Generations with Roaring Fork PreCollegiate

Roaring Fork PreCollegiate in Glenwood, Colorado, isn’t just a college access program – it is a fortified avenue for aspiring and underserved students to receive the support and resources they need to succeed.

CCDI’s Build our Future Scholarship Ceremony

Clayco is committed to championing DEI as the best path forward, recognizing its power to unite, empower, and drive meaningful change – and alongside many other sponsors, the Construction Career Development Initiative (CCDI) is one way that we do that!

Politico Feature: Meet the CEO Tackling Student Loan Debt

When our Clayco team noticed that many of our hardworking members were struggling with debt from predatory lending, we implemented an innovative Student Loan Repayment Plan.

Groundbreaking at St. Louis Community College

We’re breaking ground and helping pave the way toward higher education! Construction began on September 8th on the Center for Emerging Technologies and the Financial Services & Enrollment Center at St. Louis Community College’s Meramec campus. This groundbreaking is part of six new buildings planned across STLCC’s four main campuses as part of a facilities update.

SIUE’s New Health Sciences Building

Clayco and Lamar Johnson Collaborative are using our integrated approach to support higher education! Our teams are working on a joint venture with Poettker Construction and Christner Architects to develop the new Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s (SIUE) 176,000-square-foot health sciences building. The facility will accommodate the School of Pharmacy and the School of Nursing with ample space for offices, academic classrooms, labs, and more. The project will help students achieve the university’s vision of empowering individuals to reach their full potential through academia and innovative programs.

CCDI Celebrates Scholarship Recipients and Graduates

Congratulations to the Construction Career Development Initiative’s (CCDI) 2023 class of Build Our Future Scholarship recipients! Clayco is proud to be one of the many sponsors of CCDI, which connects youth in underserved communities with career opportunities in construction. During the annual Build Our Future Scholarship award ceremony last week, the program awarded its largest class of recipients $170,000 in scholarships and commemorated the first four college graduates who have secured full-time employment! The newest scholars will attend Missouri S&T, Drury, and Prairie View A&M.

CCDI Reaches New Communities and Distributes Scholarships

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.

April’s Inspiration of the Month: Daya Brown

Daya Brown is a name that an increasing number of people are beginning to recognize for her intelligence, dedicated work ethic, and the fact that she was accepted by 54 colleges and received $1.3 million in scholarship offers! Brown is my inspiration for April for all her accomplishments and determination to reach her goals – especially because most of her journey was during unprecedented global uncertainty. As a Freshman at Atlanta, Georgia’s Westlake High School, Brown said she considered becoming a lawyer before being introduced to Westlake Out Loud, a poetry performance group for students. She then realized she wanted to embrace her creativity to empower people and heal the world.

Clayco supports Architectural Engineering Scholarship Program at Penn State

Clayco is supporting the next round of students in the Architectural Engineering Scholarship program at Pennsylvania State University. Sending warm congratulations to the outstanding Clayco Design-Build scholarship recipients – Raida Abdoellah, Nicholas Griffin, Joe Ricci, and Sophie Zheng!

Topping Out Skye on 6th

Clayco recently completed the vertical construction of our 26-story Skye on 6th project in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona’s Roosevelt Row Arts District – and we celebrated the milestone with a Topping Out celebration! The 357,850 square foot structure was designed for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification and will contain 309 apartments, 6,500 square feet of ground-level retail space, and a 78,000-square-foot parking garage. Shepley Bulfinch is the designer for Skye on 6th and the building is owned by Hubbard Street Group. The high rise is scheduled for completion in summer 2023.

Developing Careers and Communities through CCDI

Clayco always does outstanding work through our Construction Career Development Initiative (CCDI). CCDI positively impacts local communities in St. Louis, Chicago, and beyond by bringing diversity to the design and construction industry. The program focuses on student workforce development, soft-skill and career preparation, hands-on learning projects, and more. One of our main goals is to connect youth in underserved communities with career opportunities that range from professional trades to college degree programs.

Supporting UChicago Obama Foundation Scholars

The Clayco family is humbled to continue our support to The University of Chicago Obama Foundation Scholars program with $200,000 on behalf of The Clayco Foundation. Our donation began in 2021 and will benefit the amazing scholars participating in the program until 2024. The program brings together an interdisciplinary group of students and empowers them with the knowledge, skills, networks, and perspectives they need to tackle obstacles and challenges in their communities. Clayco always strives to provide equal opportunity to people from all walks of life. Our foundation is happy to assist this incredible joint initiative of the Obama Foundation and three schools at the University of Chicago – the Booth School of Business, the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, and the Harris School of Public Policy. The UChicago Obama Scholars will supplement their studies with innovative co-curricular programming, engaging with partners on Chicago’s South Side, and using their experiences to advance social change.

$100 Million Donation to Loyola University Chicago

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in 2020, corporate America promised to become more inclusive. Faced with public demands for social justice reforms, companies vowed to improve racial and ethnic diversity within their workforces, among their leadership ranks, and on their boards. While there has been some movement during the last two years, progress overall has been slower than expected. Corporate America is still trying to figure out how to reach equitable diversity levels and make their companies more reflective of the nation’s changing demographics.

The Clark Family Branch St. Louis Library

The Clark family is humbled to be able to do something that will impact generations to come by donating $6 million to the new St. Louis County Library Headquarters. Libraries are the cornerstones of the community and are more relevant than ever post-pandemic. My family and I joined the St. Louis County Library Director & CEO Kristen Sorth, members of the Library Board, and the St. Louis County Library Foundation on May 24th as we announced the project. Together, we plan to evolve public libraries and invest in their limitless potential.