J.W. Davis & Company
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[Home] Company Background
From its inception almost 71 years ago, J. W. Davis & Company has been a pioneer in the electronics field. In 1933, John Watterson Davis secured one of the first RCA-Hazeltine licenses west of the Mississippi and began producing battery-powered radios. Initially sold primarily in the rural markets, the "Watterson" brand became a leading name in the ‘30s decade. During the early ‘40s, consumer production was interrupted for the war effort. After World War II, radio manufacturing resumed; however, the spread of rural electrification steadily reduced the sales of battery powered products. Fortunately, the plant facilities were ideally suited for the manufacture of loudspeaker cabinets, and a growing demand for higher quality sound reinforcement was stimulated by the consumer’s exposure to Hi-Fi. Due to the company’s expansion in the ‘50s, J. Watt Davis (Mr. John Watterson Davis’ son) closed his retail radio store and joined the company on a full time basis. As a result of "Jay’s" engineering background, greater attention was devoted to the increasingly sophisticated requirements of a relatively new group of specialists – the commercial sound contractor. Electronics production shifted from the Watterson line of consumer products to the "Davis" line of commercial amplifier-mixers. Speaker assemblies similarly changed with the emphasis on sound columns and other higher powered speaker systems. In addition, in response to customer requests, the company became one of the first "single source suppliers" of commercial audio equipment by offering products from other major manufacturers. In the mid-‘60s, the transition to solid state components began with the production of a transistor-based transceiver. After the acquisition of company by present ownership in 1974, the entire electronics line was converted to solid state equipment. The following year marked the start of the company's continuing sponsorship of Syn-Aud-Con and the introduction of the Davis SBA Distributed Sound System™ under exclusive license from Richard Heyser. The ‘70s also marked the start of the company’s close association with the telephone industry as the new interconnect companies began to "integrate" into audio. This relationship has been maintained by the strong technical and customer service traditionally offered by J. W. Davis & Company. In the ‘80s, the company introduced its professional line of Patronis speaker systems designed by Dr. Eugene Patronis and became one of the earliest manufacturers to utilize the TEF Analyzer in engineering and testing. The past decade has been another period of transition with the integration of audio, video and data. Consequently, the company’s customer base now includes several new low-voltage groups and the scope of the company’s products has been extended to include the production, transmission and reproduction of both analog and digital signals. Over the years, the company has maintained its innovative spirit through the continual introduction of new and creative products. The result has seen J. W. Davis & Company equipment installed in the White House in Washington, the New York Public Library, Boeing’s California Plant and many other well-known buildings and major industrial facilities. Looking ahead, the company is anticipating continuing rapid changes in technology and in the structure of the low-voltage industry. However, good products and good service are common factors that never change in any company’s quest for a long, successful life. The JWD slogan "New Technology – Old Reliability" is a constant reminder that while innovation and growth are essential, the fundamental obligation to support existing customers and products must always be given equal priority.
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