The Dow Kokam plant, which broke ground in May 2010, was supported by an American Reinvestment and Recovery Act grant from the a U.S. Dept. of Energy, while a planned second phase, also to be designed and built by Clayco, will be partially financed by $42 million in tax credits issued by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority. “We had the advantage of being brought in early, at the application stage,” says Clark.

As he contemplates his move to Chicago, Clark says he plans to leave his management team intact in St. Louis, which will continue to serve as Clayco's headquarters. He is staffing the Chicago office rapidly, at a rate of about five employees per month. In time, many employees in Oak Brook will join them.

“We have 60 designers on staff, but that number could exceed 100 by sometime next year,” says Clark. 