Davis & Floyd’s CEO on What’s New and What’s Next for this Fast-Growing Firm

Exactly two years ago, GroundBreak Carolinas featured a one-on-one interview with Stephen Davis at Davis & Floyd, an established engineering firm with offices across South Carolina. In that interview, Davis provided insight into how the company has literally laid the groundwork in South Carolina and built a framework for generations to come. Now, in an all-new interview with Davis, we get an update on what’s on the horizon for this fast- growing firm and how the company continues to make a difference in the communities it serves.

We ended our previous talk with some new things coming for Davis & Floyd. Tell us about it.

Yes. So many exciting things have been happening since we last spoke. Our team has been very busy with new projects and we’ve expanded our footprint across the Southeast. A number of those have been along the coast in Beaufort and Charleston. We recently opened a coastal office in Beaufort where we’ve worked for many years on expansive community development projects such as Habersham and other planned neighborhoods. We currently have 28 active projects in Beaufort ranging anywhere from transportation to water and wastewater.

In addition, we just opened our newest office at The Quin in Charleston, SC, and, for the first time, brought our Lowcountry teams together under the same roof. One team. One Floor. Focused on our best work and headed in an exciting direction.

We’ve also made some strategic hires and implemented new corporate initiatives. We couldn’t be more energized about our road ahead.

So, let’s expand on that for a moment – new offices, more growth, and the exciting new direction. Tell us how that’s different from just a year ago.

Sure. Like most businesses since 2020, we’ve had to make adjustments. Some of those adjustments have been difficult and challenging for sure, but most of them have helped us get back to what we enjoy and do best—building community.

We’ve really spent a lot of time as a team reworking our processes and projects to focus them into three key areas: community development, transportation, and water resources. These are really what we do best and have always been at our core since my father started the company 68 years ago. We truly believe this is what Davis & Floyd is all about.

This has also taken us in a bolder direction in terms of sustainable living and a commitment to conservation. We’re forging new ground in our industry by focusing on dynamic solutions that take advantage of next-level engineering and technology to build sustainable infrastructure for our communities.

To accomplish this, we put together an in-house team of specialty engineers and landscape architects for our D|F Planscape division. We really believe this is the future, not just for Davis & Floyd, but for the engineering industry as a whole.

Tell us more about D|F Planscape and your commitment to “Conservation and Sustainability.” Any projects you can share as an example?

One of the best examples is a project we led in North Charleston called Oak Terrace Preserve. We worked alongside the city to re-envision and redevelop an existing community known as Century Oaks that had existed for years prior, but had some very unique challenges. Through innovative design and engineering, utilizing low impact development (LID) practices, we successfully worked to integrate the landscape throughout the community into a sustainable ecosystem by creating bioswales to retain stormwater runoff from homesites to water the greenery as well as the seven pocket parks also designed for community enjoyment. This community is now a flourishing example of how conservation is key moving forward.

There certainly has been a lot going on for you. So, what’s next?

We keep challenging ourselves every day. Our team really has been exceptional at thinking through and developing the solutions that our company is known for. Even now, we’re designing and incorporating cutting-edge technology like our real-time, data-driven watershed management reporting system called LIVEQ™—a first for the industry. This is only one of a number of new and emerging technologies we’re launching at Davis & Floyd. The future is bright and we’re glad we can be a part of forging the path ahead.

Spring 2023: Well Positioned for Success

Since this interview with Davis, there have been many exciting updates at Davis & Floyd. Josh Fowler was officially onboarded as the new President of the firm, with Davis appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

As President of Davis & Floyd, Fowler brings diverse experience and knowledge of business operations and engineering, contributing a global reach and local focus to lead enhanced Davis & Floyd growth efforts in a strategic direction. He is tasked with the goal of continuing to build Davis & Floyd’s high-performing team grounded in its long-standing family culture.

New Advisory Board

Davis & Floyd also announced its new Advisory Board in early 2023. This powerful set of advisors will help build on Davis & Floyd’s existing foundation and position them for continued growth. The new members included Jane Harrison Fisher (COO of Coldwell Banker Caine), Richard Jackson (owner of C. R. Jackson, Inc., Satterfield Construction, and N. W. White & Co), Mikee Johnson (CEO of US Brick), and Luke Kissam (Partner with Bernhard Capital Partners).

Davis elaborated, saying “Our Advisory Board is built from people rooted in our family’s legacy – both from my father and myself. We’ve made the commitment to be a high-performing team in a family-centric culture. These outside advisory members will position us to maximize our firm’s potential while making strategic decisions for the future. We are so happy to partner with these pioneers in their fields to build a better tomorrow for not only Davis & Floyd, but also every community that we touch.”

First published by SC Biz News, a leading media company that serves high-level business executives in South Carolina, the interview portion of this article originally appeared in GSA Business Report, Charleston Regional Business Journal, and the Columbia Regional Business Report. Reprinted with permission.