Clark Family: A Century of Leadership
Last night I had the opportunity to attend a birthday party for a 100-year old. If you don’t think a centenarian can’t have a great time, think again! This party at the Museum of Flight was to celebrate W.G. Clark Construction Co.’s 100 years of service.
Bill Clark started the company in 1910, when steam shovels and horse drawn carriages were still part of a contractor’s fleet of machinery. In 1923, Bill moved the company to the building it still occupies in the South Lake Union area.
On its company website, W.G. Clark Construction has posted a history of the firm, with some great old photos. I encourage people to take a look (go to www.wgclark.com). A review of the history of this venerable and modern firm is to take a trip back into the history of the Northwest – think about Clark’s work on the Joshua Green Building in the 1910s, the old Kress store in Seattle in the 1940s, Pike Place Market rehabs in the 1970s, the Bailey-Boushay House and (my personal favorite) Issaquah’s Village Theater in the 1990s.
Plus, the history of W.G. Clark Construction reflects the history of the Associated General Contractors, as three generations of Clarks have served as chapter president (Bill in 1941, Don in 1956, and Chris in 1988). From my review of the “wall of presidents” in AGC offices, I can see that three generations of leadership is unique. We’ve had a few father-and-son sets of presidents (Axel and Allan Osberg, Charles and Vince Wilder, to name two), but the Clarks have been the only three-generation family of AGC leaders.
Here’s to W.G. Clark’s first hundred years of great service and industry leadership!
Tags: business, Contracting, networking
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June 4th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
I also was at the party. Kudos to Chris Clark, Mike Ducey and the gang for putting on such a lavish bash, especially in these trying times.
Not only was the party a hit, it also helped out the local economy in a small way – revenue for the museum and employment for museum staff, caterers, photographers, musicians, actors and ice sculptors.
Here’s to another 100 years!