Lunch with Ernest

In Clark's humor, a life lesson

Bob Clark Jr. owns Tampa Steel Erecting near Gibsonton, but his company, and his homespun humor, are known well beyond east Hillsborough.

He worked on the Florida Aquarium, Spaceship Earth at Epcot and the Shamu Stadium at Sea World. These days, he specializes in bridges.

Recently, we gathered for waterfront dining at Circles at Land's End Marina. Bob had a cheeseburger, I had shrimp parmigiana, and we enjoyed spirited talk about business, life and his wife, Patty.

Pull up a chair, and join us.

Ernest: What advice would you give a fellow businessman on how to treat his employees?

Bob: I remember when I won Small Business of the Year (in 2001) from the chamber, everybody had all these intellectual things they tell their employees. They asked me what do I tell my employees, and I said, "Just show up." Truly, that is a big message.

Growing up, did you always plan on joining the family business?

I think I did. My dad was in the erection business, so I felt like that's what I would go into. I went to Georgia Tech. My dad was a Georgia boy, and when all good Georgia boys die, they want to go to Atlanta instead of heaven.

Did you like it at Georgia Tech?

No, it was too hard. I mean it was stifling to my personality. Nobody likes Georgia Tech. Everybody who goes there hates it. It's a love-hate relationship. When I got there it was so hard, I made up my mind, "Well, I'm going to finish my first year at Georgia Tech and then I'm going to the University of Florida with all my friends." What I didn't realize is that D's don't transfer. At the end of my first year, I had so many D's, I had to stay and graduate.

You grew up in Tampa in the '40s and '50s. What was Tampa like back then?

Tampa was so small we had the sign that said entering and the sign that said leaving on the same post. We didn't have a town drunk, so we all had to take turns. Any time you had a parade, there wasn't anybody to wave at. We had a dog-catcher, but he eventually caught the dog. It was an easy-going life, but I guess life's like that for all kids because you've got other people who are in charge. All you do is respond to what they tell you to do. It was definitely a different place.

You moved your business operation to the Gibsonton area in 1974. What was business like back then?

In 1974, we did $3-million worth of business within 10 miles of our location. We netted 15 percent before taxes. The only reason we didn't get rich was because of capacity. Then we more than doubled our capacity, and we were like those two old maids all dressed up with no place to go. They called it the '73-'75 recession. But in '76, '77, '78 is when we made our due. Back in that time, there was so much going on in Florida it was not, "What's your price?" it was, "When can you deliver?"

Where does your humor come from?

My dad's family, they all had those roots. I guess that's where it probably comes from. My dad, he's 90 years old, and last year we were hunting. I was explaining to him that my brother and I are as different as night and day, but each one of us got a different message from our dad. My brother is what he thinks my dad would have him be, and I'm like I am because I think I am what my dad would want. I think all kids are looking for parental approval.

How are you and your brother different?

He's really a good engineer. He's much quieter until you get to know him. I guess he's more of an introvert, but he doesn't solicit all this interaction with other people like I do.

You're proud of your dad, aren't you?

I am. He overcame a lot of adversity to be able to survive in the construction business. He never went into business to get rich. Of course, if the opportunity presented itself, he wasn't going to turn it down. He was part of the depression, one of those 200,000 guys in 1931 and 1932 that was riding the rails and hoboing all over the country. He'll tell you it wasn't a matter of adventure, by golly, it was a matter of survival.

What advice would you give a family man like me?

As you go along, you pay for your home. One day your kids get through college, and if you don't have alimony to pay, one day you do start saving money. Right now, your future is your present and that's your home and your children.

Getting a house was a big deal for me.

The turmoil that you go through, whether its good or bad, is something all of us have gone through as young people. Sitting down and being able to pay your bills at the first of the month, all of us didn't do that. We pay a few, and then when you get your next paycheck you pay a few more. And in all of our cases, it's always her fault.

How long have you and Patty been married?

July made 10 years.

She must be a good sport.

She really is. She's happy in her own skin. She doesn't take her identity, her happiness from me. She enjoys being her own person, so as a result, she's a pleasure to be around. She's not a nurse, she's a manager. She's got an MBA and a master's and she finished up her Ph.D. a couple of years ago.

You joke a lot about marriage and alimony.

Everybody who goes through a divorce initially feels like a failure because you're raised that you're supposed to be married forever. Even if you want a divorce, it's such an unhappy experience because you really wind up dividing up friends. But remember, what constitutes humor is anything that deviates from the normal.

DESSERT: A postscript from Ernest

If you hear anyone call Mr. Clark "Bobby," you know that they have known him since he was a kid at Hillsborough High. Every Friday, Bob and good friend Suzy Holley gather at the Columbia for an informal lunch with various pals and business leaders.

- Ernest Hooper also writes a column for the Tampa & State section of the St. Petersburg Times. Lunch With Ernest is edited for brevity and clarity. To suggest lunch partners call Ernest at (813) 226-3406 or e-mail hooper@sptimes.com.