Did You Know? Black History Facts

Sara Guthrie Senior Vice President Clark Construction Group Feb 19, 2021 1:11 PM

Robert - Thanks for starting this thread and to everyone else that has contributed!

I wanted to add a person whose contributions span multiple facets - baseball, our industry, our community, and our company - Fred Valentine!

After a career in Major League Baseball, where he played for both the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Senators, Fred Valentine joined Clark in 1971 as the company’s Equal Employment Opportunity Officer. Over his 30+ year career at Clark, Fred was instrumental in developing programs to maximize opportunities for minority and women owned small businesses and was involved in MBE/WBE efforts for almost every project Clark delivered, including L’Enfant Plaza, McCormick Place, FedEx Field, and the Washington Convention Center. His efforts over the years earned him many industry awards including 1984 Cardoza Community Hall of Fame for Exemplary and Dedicated Support Award, 1993 Majority Contractor of the Year from the Black Contractors Union, 2000 White House Millennium Council Community Service Award and an induction into the National Minority Contractors Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, he was inducted into The Washington, D. C. Hall of Fame Society.

Even after he retired as vice president of community relations, Fred remained connected to Clark and our work, playing a role in bringing baseball back to the District of Columbia as one one of the founding members and current vice chair of the Major League Baseball Alumni Association. Clark delivered Nationals Park for the Washington Nationals in 2008. I personally am honored to have had the opportunity to meet and work with Fred during my first few years at Clark!