It’s official: Harrison, Arkansas contractor Larry Davis of L.E. Davis Construction was named Equipment World’s Contractor of the Year, in a ceremony Saturday night at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas.
One of twelve finalists in the Contractor of the Year program, Davis was chosen by the magazine’s editors for his thorough, detailed approach to his business, his ability to find and keep great employees, a top-notch safety program and community involvement.
Davis grew up building homes alongside his dad and later expanded the business into commercial construction. In 2002 he grew further by creating a heavy construction division for sitework and utility work. Today the company has 18 employees. After 38 years in business Davis’s roots in the community run deep. He’s served on a number of community and construction association boards and recently helped the local community college grow it’s “carpentry” program into a full fledged construction management degree.
To determine the winner of each year’s Contractor of the Year program, Equipment World’s editors spend a day interviewing the candidates and visiting their crews and sites. They also evaluate comments made by the contractors’ references listed on the application form. Davis’s references, from customers to suppliers to bankers, were unstinting in their praise. To quote a few:
“It’s just about impossible for somebody to build a home for you and still remain a friend, but he’s still a friend,” says Scott Miller, president, Arvest Bank, who had Davis build a house for him about nine years ago.
“His whole company is like a family. There’s very little turnover. He pays well, he treats his people well, and he gives them bonuses. He wants people to be as successful as he is, but he doesn’t lead a rich man’s life. He’s not in it just for the money.” John Duke, salesman Riggs Caterpillar.
“He invites all his subs to his Monday Morning safety talks. He’s the only local builder who does that. He’s very paperwork driven, but that provides continuity between jobs. On bids he’s usually a little more expensive than most, but he gets his percentage of jobs based on quality.” Blaise Kock, president/CEO Ozark Refrigeration.
We’ll tell you more about L.E. Davis Construction in the May issue of Equipment World. To see a list of the 12 Contractor of the Year Finalists click here. For more information or to apply to the Contractor of the Year program click here.
