Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Davis.
Hi Ashley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I graduated from the University of North Georgia with a B.B.A in Finance in 2018, while I was in school, I started working part-time at Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing as the Administrative Assistant. My now-husband, Travis, and I had just started dating about six months prior to me coming on at the company, and his grandfather, L.D. Lawson started the business in 1946 after returning home from WWII. Air Conditioning was not the norm in 1946 – so L.D. Lawson really pioneered the industry in our area. Lawson installed the first AC unit in Hall County in a small women’s clothing store off the Gainesville square. I never considered anything more than a part-time job when I first started at Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing, but as time passed- my relationship with Travis continued to grow so did my appreciation for the legacy of Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing and continuing L.D.’s desire to do the right thing for customers, vendors, and employees. My in-laws Debbie Lawson Davis and Vince Davis are the second-generation ownership of Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing, and my husband and I will be the third generation. Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing is viewed as a leader in our industry and community. It is more than the years of longevity that set us apart but the quality of work we perform and how we take individual care to match our customer’s needs with every job.
I was entering into my senior year of college knowing that as I planned my post-graduation plans I didn’t want to leave Lawson. I wanted to be a part of the legacy continuation and my husband was transitioning into his role in our Commercial HVAC division and working towards positioning for being a third-generation business leader. There was a need for him to have someone work alongside him the way his parents operate the business now – his mother being the CFO and his father as the CEO/President – a dynamic duo. Travis and I have working together since the beginning of our relationship, and the heart and soul I poured into the company over the last few years was not something I could walk away from, so my progression through the ranks- proving myself, bringing innovative ideas and love for the team at Lawson helped to make my post-grad plans easy – I wanted to help take Lawson into the next generation. My senior year of college, Travis proposed, and we married later in 2018. I moved full-time after graduation and assumed the role as HR & Business Relations Director- of course, in a small family-owned business you must wear multiple hats. The running office joke is that if someone doesn’t know what to do with an issue, challenge, or idea it lands on my desk. I have always been one to jump on board as needed and help move people along to the future in the most positive way I can. My role is always challenging and never goes the same way every day. I spearheaded our company’s involvement in the local high school’s trade program/pathway- help invest our team’s efforts into developing the next generation of the workforce and aim to reignite the excitement and knowledge for careers in the trades. I have been at Lawson going on eight years now and we are a strong team – we have the best employees, the best vendors, and the best customers. We aim to continue to be our community’s HVAC and Plumbing contractor of choice! I consider all our employees to be a part of the Lawson family, and I consider myself very lucky to be a part of the Lawson family and charged with the challenge to see the company into its third generation in the future.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I feel everyone has a few roadblocks along any road. For me personally, it was finding exactly what I wanted to do. I started as a pre-law student in college with full intention of going into law school directly after my undergraduate. I wrestled with what I really wanted in life and where I saw myself in the future, and while I can argue with poise, I have always felt a pull toward business settings. CEO, CFO, COO, C- whatever it is has always been something I liked the idea of. I enjoy being in leadership roles and working collaboratively for the greater good of someone/something else. My transition to being a Business Major with a Finance concentration was not a hard transition- it just fit! I was more motivated in my class than I was in my Political Science classes.
I have always worked hard to achieve my goals and like to be involved. Throughout my life, I have always found myself investing in roles I felt my talents would help an organization- this includes many volunteer hours and, in some cases, finding myself overextended with no “off” switch. I try to put my all into anything I am a part of and this resulted in many sleepless nights in college because I volunteered to do something for my sorority, non-profit club, or my friends.
In the peak of my overextension as an adult, I found myself on seven different non-profit boards, which included three of them being in an executive committee position and staying on the go more than I should. I had the opportunity to listen to a wonderful motivational speaker at a non-profit conference whose words of wisdom became my latest mantra- do less, be more. I have spent the last three months focusing on what extracurriculars I enjoyed most, and where I felt I was bringing the most to the table for their benefit. This allowed me to focus my time, effort, and energy to doing my best. This included opening time for some committees and advisory boards focused on the HVAC and Plumbing industry- things in line with addressing labor shortages, workforce development, and even a trade scholarship selection committee. There have been other hurdles or hard points in my professional and personal journey, but I can easily look back on those and say I learned from those times and consider myself very blessed to have an incredible inner circle of family and friends who support my endeavors. Everyone has to take some lessons from the school of hard knocks, right? I am constantly working to live by the mantra, of “Do Less, Be More,” meaning to focus my efforts for a greater impact.
As you know, we’re big fans of Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing, Inc. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing, Inc. was founded in 1946 by L.D. Lawson after returning home from WWII. Lawson helped pioneer the HVAC industry in Georgia. He installed the first AC unit in Hall County, GA! We employ over 70 people and serve over 18,000 customers. We have four divisions- Commercial HVAC, Commercial Plumbing, Residential HVAC Installation, and our Service Division that has HVAC and Plumbing Technicians. Our services include anything from ground-up large Industrial Projects to HVAC maintenance contracts- we also have a full Sheetmetal fabrication shop. We are a Carrier Brand Factory Authorized Dealer and provide our customers with top of the line equipment options. It is not just the longevity that sets Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing apart, our award-winning quality and service is why we have third and fourth generation customers. We aim to be the preferred HVAC and Plumbing contractor for North Georgia. Our company creed that L.D. wrote himself lays out the legacy we carry on today best, Our commitment to customer satisfaction is evident in the Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing Creed:
We believe that the Customer comes first.
Their comfort is not a by-product of our work but is the purpose of our work.
We believe that quality equipment must be backed by quality service of the highest caliber.
We believe that comfort can not be mass-produced. each job, like each customer, must receive individual attention.
We believe that customer satisfaction requires a total commitment. Behind every project we complete must stand every salesman, every mechanic, all members of the office staff and all management… only then can we take pride in our work & be assured we have done the very best for the customers & for ourselves.
We refer to this as the “Lawson Way” and it is the standard business operation to go above and beyond the normal call of duty.
In 2018, L.D. Lawson was posthumously inducted into the Carrier Hall of Fame. It is the highest honor in the mechanical industry and is a distinction given to proven leaders in the industry. Designees have dedicated their lives to giving back and standing by the promises they’ve made to their employees, their customers and to their communities. Though this kind of character is shared by many Carrier Authorized Dealers, what sets Hall of Fame members apart is perseverance–an unwavering commitment to high principles over a lifetime of service.
The Hall of Fame induction and the staff we currently have are what make me the most proud. L.D. laid great foundations for us and his legacy is not taken lightly. Our employees are truly of the highest caliber and really help create the Lawson family atmosphere.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Quick response and being knowledgeable. Since my position as our HR & Business Relations Director/ Corporate Secretary includes writing our company policies and keeping our employees informed, I was charged with constant researching and being able to make quick decisions to protect our employees and customers. We were fortunate to be considered an essential business but that meant we have to act quickly and do everything we could to keep our employees and customers safe.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lawsonac.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawsonacplumbing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LawsonAirConditioningPlumbing/
- Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/lawsonacplumbing/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lawsonairconditioning&plumbinginc./
