Hugh Clark
Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Cemetery
Hugh Clark, a former president and early partner of Fort Myers-based B&I Contractors, died Aug. 25 at 89. Clark joined the mechanical contracting company in 1969 to lead engineering and estimating and succeeded founder Gordon “Buck” Harbuck as president in 1991. He helped establish the contractor’s employee stock ownership plan in 1986, part of Harbuck’s succession strategy as he prepared to retire. The plan eventually acquired 100% of B&I’s stock, making its employees the company’s owners and giving workers a financial stake in its growth. Clark, a mechanical engineer, also served more than 26 years in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. B&I has since grown into a mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractor with offices across Florida and reported $366 million in revenue last year.