Todd Weaver is the epitome of the pursuit of happiness.
In 1984, at the age of 12 in Hazelwood, Missouri, seeking to help his mother, who was battling diabetes and cancer, Weaver managed to get a job at a construction site where he earned $4 an hour.
Bob Clark, the founder of Clayco, hired him to weed, pick up trash and handle odd jobs as long as he went to school and completed his homework.
“I knew I needed to do something to help my mom,” Weaver told Forbes. “She was struggling.”
Clark became a father figure to Weaver after his father left when he was 3. By age 15, Clark had helped him obtain a laborer’s card, allowing him to earn $13 an hour.
Clark also gave Weaver additional money to help his mother pay utility bills.
“I could have easily gone in a different direction,” Weaver said. “[Clark] gave me an opportunity.”
Becoming the first person in his family to attend college, Weaver studied marketing and construction management at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and played basketball before working at several engineering firms and eventually returning to Clayco.
In 2002, Weaver launched Legacy Building Group after securing a $150,000 loan from Clark, which he repaid within six months.
Clark’s generosity helped lay the foundation for the company, which centered on creating opportunities for minorities through employment, subcontracting and mentorship.
Clark’s influence was tremendous for Weaver. As a surrogate father figure, he introduced him to Black business leaders in St. Louis, including World Wide Technology founder Dave Steward, one of America’s first Black tech billionaires.
Clark, who is white man, believed Weaver needed to build relationships with Black business owners in St. Louis, but he never stopped supporting him, even as he encouraged him to expand his network.
By 2009, Legacy had generated $80 million in business and expanded beyond St. Louis to New York, New Orleans, Kansas City, and Chicago.
The company worked with minority-owned subcontractors and partnered with established firms, including Clayco.
Legacy also helped develop projects such as the Casino Queen gaming complex in East St. Louis and Culinaria, an urban-style Schnucks grocery store that opened in downtown St. Louis in August 2009.
In a 2009 profile, the St. Louis American reported that Weaver viewed minority inclusion, community involvement, and mentorship as the three principles behind the Legacy brand.
The company did face a major setback during the 2008 recession as construction investment dried up. According to Forbes, the business was carrying about $2.5 million in debt and was close to default.
Weaver did not want Clark to simply bail him out.
Instead, he cut costs and relied on relationships he had built over the years.
Steward offered to loan Weaver $1 million if he could raise another $1 million and secure a $10 million line of credit. Weaver managed to secure 11 partners willing to lend $100,000 each at 10 percent interest.
He repaid the loans within a year.
Although Weaver repaid the $150,000 loan within six months, Clark continued reminding his former apprentice about the money he had lent him to start his business.
“He was worse than a friggin bank,” Weaver recalled.
The company eventually became a major contractor for World Wide Technology, working on two headquarters, distribution centers and IT facilities.
Google later hired Weaver for a data center project, and TW now services and upgrades six Google campuses, according to Forbes.
Legacy Building Group later became TW Constructors, while DGN Enterprise emerged as the broader organization connecting Weaver’s construction businesses.
Forbes reported that DGN Enterprise generated nearly $400 million in revenue in 2025 and was approaching $1 billion in 2026.
The company has also worked with major clients including Microsoft, Apple, and Eli Lilly.
In separate company-sponsored material, TW Constructors said it generated approximately $360 million in 2025 and projected $900 million in revenue for 2026, with a backlog exceeding $3.8 billion and more than 520 employees across affiliated companies.
The company says its expansion includes an integrated delivery model involving Mechanical Solutions, Fire Solutions, Glazing Solutions and Vision Electric & Systems.
TW also acquired Vision Electric & Systems in late 2025 and has been expanding its fabrication and logistics operations in Earth City, Missouri.
The company’s planned expansion includes a new headquarters and fabrication facility designed to support its field operations, according to the sponsored material.
Weaver’s relationship with Clark has continued as the business has grown.
In 2024, the two worked together on the 657,000-square-foot Siteman Cancer Center project at the University of Washington hospital complex in St. Louis.