Bob Clark is an expert at building bridges, both literally and metaphorically.

As president of Tampa Steel Erecting Company, Clark has overseen construction of dozens of large-scale projects on highways and theme parks, including the iconic steel Spaceship Earth globe at EPCOT. Outside of Florida, Tampa Steel has led several award-winning developments, such as the Casco Bay Bridge in Portland, Maine, recipient of the Prize Bridge Award, and the twin arches on the Margaret McDermott Bridge in Dallas.  

But Clark is perhaps even more well known for the relationships he’s built through his weekly networking lunches at Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City.

The “Bob Clark lunches” have become famous around Tampa after starting in November 2001, when Clark wanted to help a friend get a better job. All went according to plan, so more lunches ensued. “I guess it just evolved,” Clark says when asked if he ever expected the get-togethers to turn into a decades-long institution.

Clark puts the same meticulous preparation into each lunch as he does into giant steel structures: 14 people from various backgrounds, generations and industries are invited every Friday with instructions to bring as many
business cards. Once everyone is seated in their pre-arranged chairs at the pre-arranged table, diners pass their business cards counterclockwise until they have one from each of their new connections. The tradition was immortalized when a plaque was placed behind the table a few years ago, designating the restaurant’s Table 100 as the “Bob Clark Table.”

On a Thursday last October at quarter to noon — the lunch was moved a day ahead as Clark was leaving for a hunting trip the next day — guests trickled into the Columbia lobby and were led to the famed corner table.

A candidate for circuit judge handed out cards for her campaign; a board member for Tampa Theatre promoted the nonprofit’s upcoming 100-year anniversary; a public relations exec bonded with a Moffitt Cancer Center representative over his personal experience with the center’s treatments. Many Cuban sandwich and 1905 salad combos with mugs of café con leche were enjoyed, while Clark went with the special of the day, the branzino with yellow rice (with an added heap of black pepper).  

One of Clark’s years-long business partners who was in attendance was Frank Ghannadian, dean of the Sykes College of Business, for whom one of Clark’s endowed scholarships to UTampa is named.

“Bob has been, for the past seven or eight years, part of this group of people that’s cheered me on,” said Ghannadian. “He definitely has helped me with advice, as he’s been very successful in running Tampa Steel.”

Clark first got involved with UTampa in the early 2000s, when he met his wife, Patty Martini Clark MBA ’85. Patty Clark, a current trustee, was an active alumna of the University and started bringing Bob Clark to campus events.

As a prominent local businessman, Clark joined the Sykes College of Business Advisory Council, and Ghannadian was invited to the Friday luncheons. Ghannadian says Clark has been “very instrumental” in developing several new programs in the college and describes his colleague as “very intelligent, kind.”

As part of the advisory council, Clark was invited to the next Global Access Partnership trip that University community partners take to experience the nuances of global markets and cultures firsthand, so that they can confidently navigate the international business landscape. This year, the group will travel to Denmark and Sweden, which is new terrain for Clark.

“My wife is a world traveler,” said Clark. “I prefer elk hunting in Texas.” Though, he noted, he did go on a tour of Spain, Morocco and Portugal in 1978 after his daughter was crowned Tampa’s Latin American Fiesta Queen.

Clark has no plans on retiring anytime soon. Just a couple years ago, he received the Outstanding Leader Award by the Tampa Bay Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Awards, and last year, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association. His cozy, lodge-like office, decorated with clipped-out newspaper articles and hunting trip winnings, and his second office, Table 100 at Columbia, serve as constant reminders that Clark has built quite the legacy.

If you would like to learn more about creating an endowment at the University, contact Schezy Barbas at (813) 258-7480 or sbarbas@ut.edu.