Awards & Honors
ILCA’s 2016 Person of the Year Bill Davids by Barbara Dutton
“Like father,
like son,” is a phrase that in many ways could be applied to this year’s ILCA Man of the Year. The honor that is being accorded, however, recognizes an individual that, while continuing in the family landscaping business that his dad launched back in 1951 and serving – as his father had – as a president of the ILCA, 2016-17 Person of the Year recipient Bill Davids has made his own mark on the company he now leads – and on the industry it serves. Though Bill followed to a large degree in the footsteps of his father, company founder Clarence, each man had a distinct vision for the company, which they applied in steering the business – an enterprise which has won more than 200 awards on state and national levels for achievement in landscape design and maintenance. Recently, in 2015, the company was recognized with four awards in Chicago’s Magnificent Mile Association’s Curb Appeal competition. “We worked together many years,” relates the son, in recalling the familial collaboration. For his part, Bill Davids would pursue the design-build process, introducing a service offering that he believed was “necessary to go along with maintenance.” Today, the company is a full-service contractor offering a wide array of services from maintenance, design-build, installation, lawn care, snow removal and tree pruning to creating seasonal flower displays and providing holiday décor. “Design always interested me,” says the younger Davids, who studied horticulture at Michigan State University. He conveys that in a business such as the one in which he grew up – and grew into, “There’s a lot to learn.” He also acknowledges the senior Davids’ appreciation of this requisite to success. “My father thought education was important,” he relates. The current company president, in turn, carries the 10
same outlook when it comes to developing employees. “We support further education,” he says. “As we’ve been blessed as the company grows, we bless other people with key positions.”
A great example
The company also maintains a focus on environmental consciousness and sustainability, as well as expresses a commitment to providing a safe work place for employees, its customers and the general public. Impressive, too, is the fact that Bill Davids can name some big-time commercial clients that the company has maintained from the contractor’s early ventures into this market – an accomplishment that can be credited to company
leadership. Bill’s business leadership style has not gone unnoticed. Industry colleague Jim Melka, who, as founder of Melka Landscaping & Garden Center in Mokena, Ill., is another south suburban contractor, observes, “The one word that comes to mind when thinking of Bill is ‘professionalism.’ It radiates throughout the entire company.” Clarence Davids & Company has also maintained a longtime relationship with the ILCA, a relationship that Bill values strongly. “ILCA has meant a lot to us over the years,” he says, citing learning opportunities the affiliation has afforded. He also expresses an appreciation of the affiliation with what he sees as some of the “most knowledgeable and largest landscaping firms in the United States.” It appears that fellow ILCA members have a mutual appreciation for Bill’s service to the association. Preceding Bill as president of ILCA was Kenny Gallt, founder of Foliage Design Systems, Lombard, Ill. Gallt: “Bill is one of those quiet supporters of ILCA and the landscape industry. Through Bill’s leadership, he has grown Clarence
The Landscape Contractor January 2017