In 1953, Whit Davis and his wife, Miriam, invested $25,000 to purchase the assets of a small business called Oliver Lumber Company. They then changed the name to Whit Davis Lumber Company, where Miriam, who kept the books, and the yard-man/truck driver would be the only adult employees, in addition to Whit, during those early days. John A. Davis-III, current Chief Executive Officer, was in the 6th grade in 1953 and had 15 minutes to get to work after school.