“Back to the Future with Clarence Davids & Company”

NOTE: The following article was written by Barbara Dutton and is an excerpt from the August edition of The Landscape Contractor.

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     As this company enterprise celebrates 65 years in business, reflections on its early days and its enduring philosophies and practices are certainly due.

     The year was 1951. Automobile owners could expect to pay 19 cents a gallon for gas on their way home from work for an evening that might include watching an episode of newly debuted I Love Lucy, after puttering around their backyard – a prized aspect of a home in the rapidly developing suburbs of the post-World War II era.

     It was in this climate that Clarence Davids & Company was launched by Clarence Davids, Sr. The family-owned landscape management firm is now operating under its second generation of leadership, headed by Bill Davids, son of the founder. Having studied horticulture at Michigan State University and worked closely with his father in the business, the younger Davids now serves as the company’s president.

     He attributes the business’ endurance to sustaining an environment marked by customer satisfaction. “We owe our longevity to our customers,” he reflects. “We strive to establish partnerships with our clients by providing prompt, quality landscape services at fair competitive pricing.”

     The company’s client base consists of high-end residential, multi-family, industrial, commercial, and institutional property owners. Headquartered in Matteson, Illinois, with branch offices in Plainfield and Ingleside, the full-service contractor offers maintenance, design-build, installation, lawn care, snow removal, tree pruning and removal, seasonal flower displays and holiday decor services.

     Over the 65 years of its operation, Clarence Davids & Company has garnered more than 200 awards recognizing landscape design and maintenance achievements. Among these was a first-place accolade from the Chicago business group, the Magnificent Mile Association, in recognition of a winter/holiday display created by the landscape contractor. Davids makes proud reference to an Illinois Landscape Contractors Association honor recognizing the company as being the only business, of the original founding members of ILCA, still in operation.

     Client satisfaction, industry involvement, education, and employee retention appear to all have added up to a substantial legacy of success. “We look forward to continuing to provide beautiful, sustainable landscapes to our customers well into the future,” comments Bill Davids.

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