Vicki Davis NORMANITE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

BY:Chelsey Kraft

As far as Vicki Davis knows, her family has always lived in Norman.

At the very least, her Norman lineage goes back to her great-grandparents. Today, Davis and her husband of 30 years, Kelly, live on what used to be her great-grandparents’ property east of town. Her parents, and both sets of grandparents, grew up in the community, too.

The Davises met at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, where she attended college for a year. Once they married, they decided to return to Norman, where they started working full time.

They moved into the house that her grandfather had built for his parents. Once they had their two sons, Tyler and Colton, they needed more space, but wanted to stay on the land.

"My whole like has been spent in that four-mile radius,” Davis said. “We decided to basically add on an entire new house instead of starting from scratch.”

Her family roots also run deep at Johnson Controls, where Davis has worked for 28 years, the past five as the plant operations manager. In her current role, Davis is responsible for the plant, where air conditioning units are produced by more than 700 employees.

Davis’ mom, Dorothy Wren, joined Johnson Controls when Davis was two years old and now she works as the safety supervisor. Kelly works in the manufacturing engineering department, while their youngest son is in the company’s IT department.

“I’ve been around this business my entire life,” Davis said. “It’s been a good support system for my mom and us as we grew up, and it’s been a really great support system for myself and my family as we’ve raised our family here.”

For Davis, the primary reason she has built a career at Johnson Controls is that it’s a good company to work for. She has had many opportunities to advance, since she started out on the shop floor.

Davis went back to school, earning both her bachelor’s degree in business and master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix while continuing to work full time. From there, she moved into different leadership roles and has continued to advance within the company.

“They’re really good about promoting from within, looking at the talent they have and putting opportunities in front of you if that’s what you want to do,” Davis said. “That kind of lends itself to staying because they’re constantly looking to develop talent within Johnson Controls.”

Davis is involved with several community groups, especially as it relates to Johnson Controls. Right now, she is on the board of directors for United Way and the Norman Chamber of Commerce. Recently, Davis was awarded the 2020 Women’s Leadership Award from the chamber.

In their free time, Davis and her husband like taking their recreational vehicle on long weekend camping trips to different areas around Oklahoma. The couple especially enjoys Roman Nose State Park and Black Mesa State Park, near his hometown of Boise City.

Having such deep roots in Norman provides a comforting feeling to Davis, and she appreciates living in a community that has the small-town feel but also the big-city amenities. With both of her sons living in the area, it appears as if Davis’ Norman family history will continue. As for Davis, she has no desire to leave anytime soon.

“With my job, there are always opportunities for me to go other places if I wanted to,” Davis said. “I’ve always liked Norman though. If it was the right opportunity for me, I might consider going someplace else for work, but I’ve been lucky, and I’ve not had to move away.” – BSM