Melvin E. Clark, Jr., Esquire, the founding owner, president and CEO of the Metroplex Corporation, currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of G.W. Peoples Contracting Company, Inc. 

Metroplex was founded in 1983, and became the premier minority rail construction contractor in the United States.  Under Mr. Clark’s leadership,  Metroplex established a national reputation of excellence. It was sold to the British construction and engineering firm, Balfour Beatty in 2000.  At the time of sale,  Metroplex was actively performing on projects such as the Alameda Corridor Project  in Los Angeles ($65 Million), a Bay Area Rapid Transit  Project in San Francisco ($40 Million) and The Southern New Jersey Light Rail System in Camden, New Jersey ($55 Million), which were, at that time, the largest transit construction projects in the country.

Mr. Clark holds a degree in accounting from the Pennsylvania State University, a law degree from the Northwestern University School of Law, and a Master’s Degree from the Northwestern University Graduate School of Management.  While attending Northwestern University, Mr. Clark was also employed as a labor consultant to Chicago United, where he developed a plan for increasing minority participation in the construction trades industry.  He also worked as a member of the tax staff of Ernst & Young.

Mr. Clark worked as an Associate Attorney with Klett, Lieber, Rooney & Schorling where he obtained invaluable experience in corporate planning for construction companies, construction litigation, and labor law.  He also fulfilled a four year commitment as an attorney with the tax division of the United States Department of Justice.

Always aware of the importance and benefits derived from idea and strategy exchange with executives from various industries, Mr. Clark is a member of the Washington/Baltimore Chapter of the Young President’s Organization, Inc. (YPO).  YPO is a privately organized, not-for-profit executive education organization of more than 20,000 presidents and chief executive officers worldwide.  YPO is committed to the development of ‘better presidents through education and idea exchange’ by providing challenging environments promoting the exchange of ideas and shared experiences.

Mr. Clark is also a member of the Black Young  Presidents’ Organization (BYPO) a part of the YPO.  BYPO was created to focus on environments and interactions unique to its Black members, as well as, to have members share their respective business and social networks, while increasing minority membership in the YPO.

Mr. Clark has received Presidential Appointments to the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation, the Board of Governors of the United Service Organization and the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Mr. Clark was a private sector representative for the U.S. Department of State at the United Nations Trade and Development Conference in South Africa; a member of President’s Clinton’s White House Mission to Africa as well as a part of TransAfrica Forum’s trip to Haiti.

Working closely with the Democratic National Committee, Mr. Clark is very active in Democratic politics.  During the Clinton Administration, Mr. Clark recommended and formulated the creation of the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program, whereby minority 8(a) companies could be mentored by larger companies to compete in today’s marketplace.  Today, the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé program has been replicated throughout the federal agency system.  Metroplex and G.W. Peoples signed the first Mentor-Protégé Agreement with the SBA.

Currently an aggressive advocate for small and disadvantaged business concerns, Mr. Clark acts as an advisor to the White House Task Force on Small and Disadvantaged Business, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute’s 21th Century Council.  The CBCI launched the 21^st Century Council to identify issues key to ensuring a sound future for all Americans and to provide workable solutions to the White House and U.S. Congress to meet these challenges.

As Chief Executive Officer for G. W. Peoples Contracting Co., Inc., Mr. Clark will continue to mentor and advise senior management on all aspects of marketing, management, and construction decisions.  He intends to re-energize G.W. Peoples, and position it as a premier rail contracting company to take advantage of the substantial growth potential occasioned by a welcome renaissance in the rail industry.