As St. Louis grapples with downtown challenges and questions about who should lead the city’s next chapter, one longtime business leader continues to call on the private sector to step up. In this episode of The Arch City Report, Clayco chairman Bob Clark joins editor Erik Siemers to discuss the role business leaders can—and should—play in shaping the region’s future.

Clark, one of Mayor Cara Spencer’s most prominent supporters, addresses criticism surrounding a recent data center vote, his financial backing of the mayor’s campaign and his long-standing argument that St. Louis lacks an urgent, coordinated strategy. He also revisits his earlier suggestion that major employers could make a bold, collective commitment downtown—and whether that idea has gained traction.

The conversation also explores leadership turnover across the region, the growing controversy around data center development, and Clark’s takeaways from being aboard the inaugural nonstop British Airways flight from St. Louis to London—an international moment of visibility for the city.

Show Links:

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2025/11/20/mayor-calls-regions-biggest-firms-downtown.html

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2025/01/28/bob-clark-clayco-cara-spencer-tishaura-jones.html

http://bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2026/04/23/downtown-st-louis-tower-windows-shot-out-again.html

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2026/04/16/law-firm-moving-downtown-expand-clayton.html

Mentioned in this episode:

Cass Commercial Bank

Cass Commercial Bank...member FDIC. https://www.cassbank.com/