Steam shovels and horse-drawn wagons were state-of-the-art construction equipment when Bill Clark came to Seattle in 1906. The young Minnesota engineering graduate thrived in the boom-town construction atmosphere. In 1910, he went into business for himself as a general contractor.

In 1923, Clark was already well established in commercial and alterations work when he relocated an 1888-vintage building to a vacant lot at Seventh Avenue and Harrison Street to be his shop and office. The same building remains W.G. Clark's corporate office today though many remodels have changed its look and function. By 1937, the company had survived the Depression, and Seventh Avenue had become Aurora Avenue. In that year, Bill and his son, Don Clark, formed a partnership which they named the W.G. Clark Co.

Bill was on his own during the war years while Don served in the U.S. Navy. The post-war years, after Don's return, were times of expansion, and under his leadership the business was incorporated in 1954 as W.G. Clark Construction. During this period the company completed many large commercial, industrial and institutional projects.

Chris Clark, Bill's grandson, began working for the company in 1965 while in high school, first with a shovel, then later as a project manager. In 1973, Chris purchased the firm and Don Clark retired, but served as chairman until 1985. Under Chris's leadership, the company grew and changed its focus from primarily hard bid work to negotiated work in the early 1980s.

In 1997, Mike Ducey, former executive vice president and chief operating officer, became president of the firm, the first person not in the Clark family to hold this office, and Chris became company chairman. Today the firm's officers include five vice presidents with ownership in the firm, supported by a large group of project management staff, superintendents, and a field workforce of up to 200 men and women.

W.G. Clark has a long history with its trade association, the Associated General Contractors of Washington. All three Clarks have served as president of the AGC.