5 minute read
Inspiration
INSPIRATIONS: Following the Inspirational Journey of Lexington Leader Ozlem Eva Davis
by Peter Chawaga | photo by Mike Cyrus photo location Norwalk Furniture & Design
Lexington accounting and consulting firm Peer House has served numerous clients across the country since its founding in 2016. As these clients have benefited from the firm’s bookkeeping, CFO oversight, benchmarking and forensic accounting services, many of them may not have been aware of the unique and inspiring journey that brought Peer House founder Ozlem Eva Davis to Lexington. Davis's journey to the U.S. is not just the inspiration behind her community and business leadership, it’s a reminder for many of us that the paths to our destinations are not always straight, that belief in tomorrow can get us through any day and that home is, ultimately, wherever you make it.
Davis was born in Hannover, Germany to a blue-collar family. Both of her parents worked two jobs each in janitorial services, mainly at the local hospital. She grew up with two older brothers from her parents’ marriage, as well as two stepbrothers from her father’s previous marriages. Davis's father was born in Xanthi, Greece, a city with hundreds of years of rich history that is rivaled only by the hometown of her mother: Istanbul, Turkey. Davis's own personal history is influenced greatly by the challenges forced upon, and eventually overcome by, her parents. “My dad was taken out of first grade, given a shoe-shining box and shown a corner so that he could start providing for his family,” Davis explained. “The same goes for my mom, she was
taken out of second grade and placed in an envelope factory to provide for her younger siblings. They lived during hard times and their stories of survival fascinated me. They grew up in one-room houses, literally.” Her parents found their way to Germany as it sought to rebuild following World War II. Turkish immigrants flooded the country to accept “lower level” jobs, and Davis's parents were among them, arriving by train without knowing the native language.
Davis recalls her childhood experience as “wonderful and awful.” She cherishes her memories playing outside, making friends and gaining a scholarship to a private high school. She was even selected to host a national children’s show on television, becoming recognized by nearly every other kid she met. But her parents’ marriage was “tumultuous,” and when Davis was six, her mother moved with her back to Turkey, leaving her father behind in Germany. “Her reasons for leaving were many,” Davis recalled. “Dad was abusive and unfaithful toward her, she was ready to retire, but most importantly, she wanted me to grow up in Turkey, marry a Turkish man and take care of her in old age. As you can tell, that part did not go the way she hoped.” Davis missed her father, who would visit periodically, but when he retired and moved to Turkey with them, he had already begun showing early signs of Alzheimer’s. “He was not the same person in so many ways,” said Davis. “I had lost my dad before I could get him back. At the same time, my oldest brother who lived with us was battling a very severe drug addiction.” Davis was also subject to her mother’s extremely strict parenting style, which is very common in Turkey. “Her intentions were good, she was a deeply caring mom, but her actions were so scary to me,” Davis described. “It took me years to be able to forgive her, though I never stopped loving her and seeking her approval.” Still, in some ways, Davis feels that her childhood, tumultuous as it may have been, was critical to shaping her into the hardworking, positive and caring person that she is today. “We often lost power and water because these were resources that needed to be saved,” Davis recalled. “We heated our house with a wood- and coal-burning stove my entire childhood in Turkey. We never had centralized heating and air. We did not have a water heater — mom would boil water, have a hot bucket and a cold bucket of water, and wash me in a pan next to the stove during the winter… I loved it, all of the neighbors knew each other, everyone took care of each other’s elders and children. There was not a single neighbor I could not knock on the door of and join for a hot meal.”
Eventually, Davis became the first member of her family to graduate college. In 2000, internet access was just becoming widespread in Turkey, and Davis met an Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) student living in Richmond on a dating website. After nine months of online dating, he came to visit her in Turkey and the two decided to move together back to the U.S. and get married. What followed were several trying experiences with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), odd jobs to make ends meet, and two failed marriages. Davis eventually went to EKU and received her degree in accounting, becoming a CPA and accepting a staff accountant job in Lexington. “I am very thankful that I started my life as a U.S. citizen in Richmond and Lexington,” Davis said, looking back. “I want to give back to the community that has been so welcoming to me… It is a wonderful feeling and blessing to be able to help others with your gifts, talents or just time and presence. I hope I will get to serve for many more years.” Eventually, Davis founded Peer House, which has served dozens of clients as well as supported numerous community programs, including Refuge for Women, Kentucky CASA Network, the YMCA and Women Leading Kentucky. Today, Davis is happily married to her husband, Michael, and they are navigating the challenging journey of parenting their kids. She said the biggest lesson she learned in life came from her husband.
“Love is a decision, not a feeling,” she said This principle is now a core value of their family. Though aspects of her life in places around the world have been colored by hardships experienced by herself and her loved ones, those experiences have given her the unique perspective, work ethic and open heart that so many in Lexington benefit from today. “Having lived in Germany, Turkey and the U.S. and traveled to other European countries, I’ve been able to see things from different perspectives,” Davis concluded. “Due to the rocky path that led me to where I stand today, I know for certain that there is immense value in picking yourself back up time after time, dusting yourself off, making amends with people you hurt along the way and doing your best in leaving things a bit better than you did the day before.” •
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