In 1984, Robert Clark founded Clayco as a start-up construction company. In that first year, Clayco’s revenues reached $1 million. Since then, Clark has grown Clayco into a financially strong company with annual revenues that topped $800 million in 2010.

Today, the company consistently ranks among the top builders in America. Clayco is a national firm that specializes in real estate development, engineering, architecture and construction in Industrial, Corporate, Institutional and Residential markets in communities across the USA. The company also serves clients and communities in Canada. As chairman and CEO, Clark spearheads the company’s growth strategy and vision and also serves as the business group leader for the Downtown Chicago office.

The company is privately held, and its subsidiaries include: Forum Studio, a full-service architecture and engineering group; Concrete Strategies, a leading-edge, full-service, specialty contracting firm and Clayco Realty Group provides full-service commercial real estate development, delivery and consulting.

Since its inception in 1984, Clayco has completed revenues of over $9 billion, including over 160 million square feet of new construction and 35 million square feet of renovation work in the United States. The company has completed development of over 4,000 acres of land and is a leader in each of the markets served.

Prior to establishing Clayco, Clark was a partner at Machine Maintenance and Equipment Company (MMECO). Under Clark’s stewardship, MMECO became the leading Midwest distributor for Ingersoll Rand and Gardner Denver products. Prior to MMECO, Clark served as Project Director at Clark Painting Company, one of the nation’s largest industrial painting contractors.

Born in 1959 and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Clark recently relocated to Chicago, Illinois. Clark has four children: Todd, Emily, Shawn, and Katie and maintains residences in Snowmass, Colorado and St. Louis, Missouri.

Bob and his late wife, Ellen, dedicated their time and resources to help address critical issues in their community. Through their giving, they have addressed a broad range of issues including children’s needs, education and particularly stem cell research projects. The Clarks recently made a gift to Washington University Medical School to build and dedicate the “Ellen S. Clark Hope Plaza” to the school. The plaza was designed by world renowned artist Maya Lin and serves as a public haven for the students, medical staff and patients.