Photo by Riverwood Photography
BUILDING THE FOUNDATION of Calgary with Davidson Enman Lumber by Rennay Craats | Published by Brittany Fouquette
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hat started with one truck, a tiny office, a staff of four and an abundance of ambition and drive has grown into a multi-generational Calgary success story. Ray Davidson and Bill Enman merged their talents and their names to create Davidson Enman Lumber in 1948, first in Lethbridge and then expanding to Calgary three years later. As their reputation for integrity and quality products grew, their business grew alongside it; by 1959 they had outgrown their Macleod Trail location, so they built their new headquarters on 42 Avenue SE where it sits today. “This was just about out of the city back in those days. People thought he was crazy to start way out in the sticks, but look at us now,” says Dan Davidson, co-owner of Davidson Enman Lumber. By 1960, Davidson Enman Lumber (DE) left Lethbridge and focused on serving its growing customer base in Calgary. Ray bought his partner out of the business in 1963 and set out to establish the supplier as the go-to company for contractors and professional home builders. Since then, Ray Davidson passed the company to his sons, Doug and Greg, who continued to grow the company and welcomed the third generation of Davidsons to the ownership core when Greg retired in 2017. Now brothers Jeff and Dan Davidson
Photo by Riverwood Photography
Brothers, Dan and Jeff Davidson.
head up the day-to-day operations of the company with support from their father, Doug, as he nears retirement. “If you took a time machine back to the late-40s and told our grandfather that in 2023, DE’s not only still around, but it’s thriving under the management of his grandsons, I think he’d be pretty proud of that. And so are we,” says Dan. There is plenty to be proud of. The full-service supplier offers a complete line of products including Spruce, Fir and treated lumber as well as various sizes of Spruce, Fir
Davidson Enman Lumber • 75 Years
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