Robert G. Clark

Robert G. Clark, often known as Bob Clark, is an American businessman and civic leader, best known as founder and executive chairman of Clayco, a real estate development and design-build firm. Established in 1984, Clayco is one of the largest privately-owned firms in its industry in the United States, generating over $5.8 billion in revenue in 2023.

Clark has been involved in various civic and philanthropic activities. In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Clark to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. In 2021, Clark was selected by President Joe Biden to be the United States Commissioner General at Expo 2020 Dubai. Clark served as the senior U.S. government representative at the event, where he led a team showing U.S. culture, values, and technology.

Early life and education

Clark grew up in Bridgeton, Missouri. He attended Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield, Missouri. Clark's interest in construction began at age 13 when his father gave him a book on building. After high school, Clark started a painting business and later became a partner in an equipment company before dropping out of Fontbonne University and starting his own construction firm.

Career

In 1978, at age 19, Clark became a partner at Machine Maintenance and Equipment Company (MMECO). In 1984, he later sold his stake and started a construction company, Clayco, in St. Louis, Missouri. By 2024, Clayco had grown into one of the largest privately-owned firms in its industry in the United States, with over $5.8 billion in revenue in 2023 and more than 3,500 employees nationwide. Clayco provides services including architectural design, engineering, site selection, and land acquisition.

In 1991, Clark began moving Clayco out of St. Louis. In 2007, he described St. Louis as "anti-development," placing blame on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and St. Louis County executive Charlie Dooley while praising the leadership of St. Louis mayor Francis Slay. Clark and Clayco headquarters officially moved to Chicago in 2013.

In 2018, a previous land transfer in the St. Louis Bottle District to Paul McKee was part of an FBI investigation on state tax credits. The "paper only" transaction had triggered $9 million in tax credits, which were split between McKee, Clark and Larry Chapman. Clark later suggested that he could donate the property to the city, inferring ongoing ownership.

Clark has attempted to privatize the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, use eminent domain for land acquisition, and build a concrete factory in the Mark Twain neighborhood of North St. Louis. After plans for the concrete factory were rejected by city government, an area in Berkeley, Missouri was chosen instead. Clark also plans to relocate Clayco headquarters from Chicago to Hazelwood, Missouri, in 2025.

Clark partnered with Hutkin Properties Group to use eminent domain on businesses and residencies of Olive Boulevard in University City for a retail development, supported by $70 million in tax increment financing.

As of 2024, The Clayco Enterprise includes a range of subsidiaries: Clayco, The Lamar Johnson Collaborative, Concrete Strategies, Ventana, Clayco Design and Engineering, and Clayco Systems and Equipment Innovations.

Philanthropy

In 2016, Clark and Clayco's company partners promised to give $4.1 million to Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine through the Clayco Foundation to advance research into RVCL, a rare blood-vessel disease that results in death five to 10 years after diagnosis.

The Clayco Foundation gave money to Savannah College of Art and Design, which renamed one of its building complexes for Clark. The complex, now called Clark Hall, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark.

In 2021, the Clayco Foundation endowed a $500,000 scholarship in Penn State’s Department of Architectural Engineering to help make the student body more diverse and help full-time undergraduate students who have financial need.

Awards & honors

In 2007, Clark received the "What's Right with the Region" award from Focus St. Louis for improving racial equality and social justice. That same year, he was recognized by the NAACP with the "Commitment to St. Louis" award.

The St. Louis Business Journal named him among the "St. Louis Influentials" from 2005 to 2011. In 2023, Clark received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his contributions to American society and his support for cultural unity and diversity.

In addition to the awards Clark has received personally, Clayco has also been widely recognized. The firm was named among Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021, and that same year, it was honored as the ENR Midwest Contractor of the Year. Additionally, Clayco has been ranked one of ENR's "Best of the Best" list and was named first BDC Top 100 Design-Build Firms List. 

Personal life

Clark married his first wife, Ellen (née Lending), in 1984. She died in 2010 of RVCL, a rare genetic disease.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Robert G.
Living people
1959 births