Community: Clarence Davids & Company
Sometimes our actions have a way of causing a chain reaction that makes a positive impact in the present day, and other times—if we’re lucky—those actions can carry across to future generations.
In the 1960s Marty Jr. was not only a leader of Ozinga’s ready mix business, but he also ran a successful bank in Evergreen Park and still had ties in the coal and oil business. As a devoted Christian and family man, many people came to know Marty from church or his bank. Clarence Davids Sr. knew Marty through both, and they shared many common interests: they were war veterans and both enjoyed serving the Lord.
Clarence was also a businessman. Pioneering a landscaping business from the ground up and using his home to run it worked well for him in the beginning until the business started growing. It was then that Clarence called on Marty for a favor—he needed space to store his equipment and run his business until he could find a suitable location.
Marty had an idea; Clarence could use Ozinga’s Evergreen Park yard to store his equipment and suggested that Clarence use a commercial trailer to handle the administrative tasks. The entire operation was run onsite successfully for more than seven years until it was ready to move once again due to its growing size.
Today, Clarence Davids and Company remains successful with 3 offices, more than 200 employees and is celebrating 70 years in business.
Bill Davids, son of Clarence Davids and current president of Clarence Davids and Company, says Marty’s influence on his family’s business isn’t lost on him. Without the significant impact of Marty’s decision to lend them the land, his family’s business might not have grown into what it has today.
“As a kid I grew up around the Ozingas and I saw them as great supporters of the church, and I saw my dad depend heavily on Marty’s help to buy new equipment and to keep the company growing,” said Bill. “From a kid’s eyes I could see the Ozinga family’s generosity, their love for the church and their humbleness, and I knew that’s the type of person I wanted to be, and that’s the type of company I wanted.”
Bill says his company operates on the same core values he learned as a child, and he believes that companies can be engines that drive growth and help one another.
“The relationship my father had with Marty is going in our historic timeline as we mark our 70th year because of the lasting impact he had on our family business and the impact to our coworkers and their families.”
