“
“ He always did right by people , and he always treated people right to the point to where a lot of times he was taken advantage of because he had such a kind heart about him . He has a kind spirit and has a genuine servant mindset . He has instilled that into us and that is a big part of who we are today .”
- Dwight Sears , speaking of Thiral Davis successful family business , Thiral and Sandy Davis decided to hand over their company to someone else . In the midst of running their own business for nearly three decades , Dwight and Barbara still maintained ties with Davis HVAC . Each year they would spend up to eight hours of continued education to maintain their HVAC licenses .
“ I always kept my HVAC license updated ,” Dwight stated . “ Even though the two of us weren ’ t real involved with the [ Davis HVAC ] company on a day-to-day basis , we still – for whatever reason – did what we needed to do to keep our masters and journeyman licenses active . “
“ I guess God knew eventually that we would be back [ with Davis HVAC ],” Dwight stated . “ Taylor basically stepped up and said , ‘ I ’ m the only one that ’ s never worked at Davis . All the other family members have worked there , why don ’ t you let me try it ?’ Barb and I bought the company from her parents . With the support of his grandparents , Thiral and Sandy , his mother and his uncle Buddy , Taylor runs it as a third generation family member .”
With Taylor , his wife Kellie and their daughter Davis ( named after the Davis surname ) living in Lexington , the family opened a Davis HVAC / Silent Guard branch office there .
THE NEXT GENERATION
From the Davis family ’ s humble beginnings working , out of their home and using their family van as their lone service vehicle , the threegeneration , joint-family business now boasts nearly 50 employees with three locations and have a combined fleet of nearly 40 service vehicles .
“ I knew my mom and dad had built our family business , and my grandparents had built their family business ,” Taylor stated . “ I kind of knew they were growing to the point where it was just doing really well , but they needed someone that cared about it more than just an employee . So that ’ s why I was looking to make a change in my life . I told them I would do whatever they wanted me to do . If you want me to pull wire , if you want me to install or sell or sweep the floors , whatever it is , I ’ m here to help , and you just tell me what you need . I never imagined that five years later we would be what we are now .”
Taylor is now the chief operating officer of the dual-family business , reporting directly to a two-person mom-and-pop board of directors – Dwight and Barbara Sears .
Despite operating their diverse multi-location business , the entire Sears family are greatly involved in many community organizations and charities . ‘ Giving back to the Community ’ was a valuable lesson they learned in the beginning from Thiral and Sandy Davis .
“ We all learned a lot from watching Barb ’ s dad ( Thiral Davis ),” Dwight stated . “ He always did right by people , and he always treated people right to the point to where a lot of times he was taken advantage of because he had such a kind heart about him . He has a kind spirit and has a genuine servant mindset . He has instilled that into us and that is a big part of who we are today .”
“ I can remember many times where he ’ d get a call on Christmas Day , when we ’ re getting ready to open gifts or getting ready to have dinner , but he would always make that ‘ holiday ’ service call ,” Dwight recalled . “ And most the times on those ‘ holiday ’ service calls , he wouldn ’ t charge them . I now find myself doing the same thing sometimes .”
The Davis and Sears families three-generation journey serves as a testament to the enduring power of unity , passion , and tradition in shaping not just a business , but a legacy that will echo through the ages .
18 • SEKY - Southeast Kentucky Life JUNE 2024