Clayco sets the bar for design-build industry on all fronts

Making the world a better place by setting the pace in client satisfaction, sustainability and diversity

At the age of 25, Bob Clark founded Clayco, a business venture that would forever change the design-build industry. The company’s growth over the years has been remarkable. From its humble beginnings 40 years ago, Clayco today is a leading fully integrated, turnkey real estate, architecture, engineering and construction firm with offices across the country.

It generates about $7 billion in revenues from commercial, institutional, industrial and residential building projects, mostly in the United States but also in Canada and Mexico. Its undertakings are mostly complex, mission-critical structures, including data centers, universities, hospitals, residential and advanced manufacturing plants for cars, batteries and semiconductors.

What is interesting, however, is Clayco’s concern beyond growing its business. Its “Behind These Walls” motto is a genuine commitment to the needs of its building users. Its new Berkeley facility is a commitment to sustainability, while Clayco Rising is an umbrella program that promotes diversity. All these initiatives are clear manifestations of the company’s adherence to the golden rule of treating others the way one wants to be treated.

Behind These Walls

While other constructors may see a school, hospital or research laboratory as simply a building, Clayco considers the purpose behind every project it takes on.

“What happens inside these buildings and understanding the needs of the people using them are a thousand times more important than the bricks and mortar we’re putting together,” says Clark, executive chairman and founder of Clayco. “This is the point of our mantra, ‘Beyond These Walls,’ and the essence of why we exist.”

This commitment to the welfare of others is highlighted in the company’s unwavering support for the economy of St. Louis (STL), Missouri, where the company began. This is despite the fact that many businesses have left the area after experiencing economic challenges.

“We’re doubling down on STL,” Clark says. “I started the business here and remain committed. That’s why we chose to keep our people here and rehab an existing building to reduce carbon footprint and make way for 400 new jobs in the STL market.”

New Green Office at Berkeley

Clark is referring to Clayco’s new site at 8640 Evans Avenue in Berkeley, which is a fresh take on sustainability. The site blurs the divide between interior and exterior elements. Trees seem to encroach into the building, while the atriums and expansive glass walls generously let in sunlight.

Opting to renovate an old site will cut carbon emissions equivalent to those coming from around 1,500 cars annually for the building’s lifetime. The same amount of pollution will be avoided yearly with the addition of more than 1,000 trees onsite. These are plant species native to the area, thus requiring no additional watering throughout the year. These and other features have made the facility a shining example of how companies can meet the challenging emission-reduction goals outlined under the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

“We want all our projects to help future generations thrive, and we’ve done nothing less for our Berkeley site,” says Alana Spencer, vice president of sustainability at Clayco. “We’re doing exactly what we would have done if a client came to us and asked us for top environmentally friendly measures.”

Taking the Lead on Diversity

• Clayco also prides itself on being a diversity and inclusion pioneer, having built one of the industry’s most comprehensive diversity and inclusion programs – Clayco Rising. The umbrella initiative aims to break barriers arising from factors such as differences in income, race, gender and sexual orientation.
• Part of Clayco Rising is Clayco Connects, a weekly conference call where minority and women-owned small businesses and other participants can discuss the challenges they face. The company has also launched the Construction Career Development Initiative (CCDI), which encourages minority and unemployed individuals to explore construction careers. Meanwhile, Field Focus is an innovative jobsite program for women and other underserved populations aspiring to become leaders in the industry.

“There are reasons why different groups are under-represented in our industry, and we want to be a leader in changing that and raising awareness,” says Clayco senior vice president Sandra Marks, who is the company’s first African American and woman executive.

• Clayco has achieved so much in the last 40 years. It is not only the top-of-mind design-build company for the most complex structures; it is also a driving force in revolutionizing the industry on all fronts, especially on sustainability and diversity.

“Clayco, in its essence, is meant to solve the world’s most challenging and complex problems,” says Clark. “We all need to have a loud voice, a beating drum telling everyone we’re committed to turning things around.”

Learn more about Clayco at claycorp.com.