Legacy Boilermaker centers core values as CEO of family business

Growing up in a family rooted in meaningful culture, family business and civil engineering, Clayton Force (BSCE’02, MSCE’03) thought no better place to start his civil engineering journey than at Purdue University.

Born and raised in Columbus, Indiana, with two parents who are Purdue alumni, Force said he has been a part of Boilermaker traditions and values from the get-go.

“Purdue was a natural fit for me” Force said. “I had been on campus for events ever since I was a kid and knew from a young age that I wanted to study engineering there.”

Force was first introduced to the construction industry and civil engineering through his father, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Purdue. Throughout his summers in high school and while studying engineering at Purdue, Force gained hands-on field experience working as a construction laborer.

“I always had an interest in learning how things worked,” Force said. “And having that early exposure to construction helped encourage my curiosity.”

While at Purdue, Force kept busy at the Lyles School of Civil Engineering. During his time as a student, Force was a member of the Purdue chapter of ASCE and Sigma Chi Fraternity.

“Through the Lyles School of Civil Engineering and the Sigma Chi Fraternity, I was able to form strong connections with others who shared similar interests and career goals,” Force said.

Force earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in structural engineering, and his master’s degree with an emphasis in construction a year later. His graduate experience, Force said, provided him “with a broad perspective of civil engineering applications and a business perspective on the industry, which have been very beneficial.”

Following graduation, Force moved to downtown Chicago where he worked as a project engineer and project manager in the construction industry.

“It was a great experience to have right out of college,” Force said. “It provided me with a lot of industry and project experience and personal connections that I use regularly to this day.”

After eight years of industry experience in Chicago, Force had the opportunity to move to Columbus to work for the family business.

Force Construction Company Inc., based in Columbus, Indiana, was established by Force’s grandfather, Don, in 1946. For 77 years, Force Construction has been providing clients with quality construction projects and is dedicated to the family-values based culture of their company.

Force began his career at the company as project engineering manager, and took a role in various project management and business development responsibilities.

“It’s a humbling experience to come to work and see the business my family and my coworkers have built and the culture that they have created,” Force said.

In 2017, Force was promoted to vice president. Force said that he hopes his “Purdue experience has helped bring a broader perspective and application of civil engineering to the company.”

Force Construction has a strong emphasis on core values that have contributed to the culture and longevity of the business, Force said, and he believes those values are critically important to the success of the company.

“Since coming to the company, it truly feels like I have expanded my family,” Force said. “With the company being employee-owned with a family-values based culture, you can’t help but feel a close connection to everyone here.”

Force and his wife and Purdue classmate, Angela, reside in Columbus with their three children. He was elected president of the company in 2019 by its board of directors and assumed the role of CEO in 2021 after his father retired.

Force also serves on a number of boards in his community — as well as the Lyles School of Civil Engineering Alumni Advisory Board — and he regularly returns to Purdue as a guest lecturer. Force shares his industry and personal experiences with students with the hope of spreading the myriad opportunities and possibilities that a Purdue civil engineering degree can create for them.

“The value of a Purdue engineering degree speaks to so many things,” Force said. “I try to share with Purdue students that regardless of the civil engineering discipline or career path they may choose, a Purdue engineering degree is forever a testament to their critical thinking and time management skills, demonstrates a propensity towards math and science and provides them exposure to and success in competitive environments.”