Fo
r Immediate Release
James M. Walker, President and COO of John S. Clark Company, LLC announced his retirement effective December 31, 2009.
Jim joined the company in 1999 as Chief Marketing Officer after over 30 years with JA Jones Construction and its subsidiaries. His diverse career with Jones included managing a large industrial project in Iran that exceeded $425M as well as VP of Operations for Jones’ Energy Division for the Americas.
Jim graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering and received his Master of Science from Cornell. He also completed the Executive Management program at UNC Chapel Hill and is a Registered Professional Engineer.
When Jim came on board at Clark, revenues were $150M annually. Under his leadership, revenues grew to over $326M making Clark one of the largest general contractors in the country. He led the company’s very successful expansion into the Wilmington, NC market, starting a green field office which has grown to more than 45 employees and averages nearly $50M in revenues annually.
During his tenure as President, Jim has focused the company’s resources on its Safety program which has been recognized by the NC Department of Labor as one of the best in the industry. He has also been the driving force behind the company’s quality control initiatives as well as its minority business outreach. When the company’s traditional manufacturing clients in the textile and furniture industries began to close and move overseas, Jim developed a strategy to move the company into the retail industry rising to as high as 5th largest retail contractor in the country.
In 2005, Jim played a key role in developing a succession plan for Clark, ensuring the company’s long term success with its acquisition by Obayashi USA. Jim has been the primary liaison with representatives of Obayashi and has brought many new ideas to Clark from Obayashi and its other American subsidiaries such as the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM).
Richard Vaughn, Chairman and CEO of Clark said “Jim has provided great leadership and service to John S. Clark Company, LLC as President and Chief Operating Officer having started with the company ten years ago as the Chief Marketing Officer. We all wish Jim and Carolyn the best life has to offer in their retirement and future pursuits.”
Mr. Vaughn added, “in order to make sure we have a smooth transition in this critical position, Jim’s successor has already been selected and has been working closely with Jim for several months so that our clients, employees and other stakeholders in our business will see a seamless transfer of leadership. We will announce the new President later this week.”
John S. Clark Company is one of the oldest and largest general building contractors in
North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad and in the Southeast, and a leading provider of in-house design-build services.
Founded in 1958, the company has headquarters in Mount Airy and full-service offices in Winston-Salem and Wilmington, N.C. Its broad expertise covers industrial, commercial, multi-family, retail, health sciences, technology and institutional construction. It also handles tenant upfits and building improvement projects.
The company attributes its longevity to the quality of its management and professional staff as well as its history of community support. John S. Clark is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and is committed to sustainable design and construction. The company has several LEED Accredited Professionals on staff including key members of its design team and has been instrumental in starting the Piedmont Triad Chapter of the USGBC.
Now part of Obayashi USA LLC, John S. Clark has worked on some of the most recognizable projects in the Southeast. Its customer base includes large national and global companies such as Target, Walgreen’s and IKEA. It has consistently been ranked in Engineering News-Record’s “Top 200 General Construction Firms in the U.S.” and in The Business Journal’s “Top Five General Construction Firms in North Carolina.”
For more information visit the company’s website at www.jsclark.com or contact Chelsey Watts, Marketing Coordinator, chelseyw@jsclark.com.