Power Couple

Jim and Sherry Davidson love their backyard, which happens to be World Golf Village, the 6,300-acre master-planned community they’re developing. And their commute to work? Even better.

It’s little more than a mile from the Davidsons’ home overlooking the King & Bear golf course to the beautiful new offices of The Davidson Companies, the dual real estate and development operations that the couple has jointly owned for nearly 20 years.

"Talk about traffic," says Jim Davidson. "Since 1981, we’ve lived in the communities that we’ve developed. It’s important to touch and feel what we’re involved in."

It’s this same hands-on philosophy, which extends from business to community service to time with family, that has propelled Northeast Florida’s quintessential power couple to the top. They have invested not only their dollars, but also their hearts and souls, into making Northeast Florida a better place.

"What you see is what you get with Jim and Sherry," says fellow developer Paul Fletcher of Fletcher Management Corporation. "They are delightful, extremely creative people. And while Jim is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, Sherry is even smarter. They make a great team."

Adds Cathy Harbin, general manager of World Golf Village’s Slammer & Squire and King & Bear golf courses, "They are two of the finest people you’ll ever meet. But it isn’t just their charm that made them successful. They’re driven, talented business people who know how to get results."

And they’re certainly decisive. Both certified public accountants, the Davidsons were introduced to one another by mutual friends in 1979, when both lived in Atlanta. They were engaged just six weeks later.

After being transferred to Jacksonville, Jim Davidson spent three years as president of the Jacksonville Division of Arvida before starting Davidson Development with several partners. He enticed his wife to come on board in 1987 and Davidson Realty was formed shortly thereafter.

But even the savvy Davidsons didn’t predict the unprecedented success of World Golf Village, which Davidson Development co-owns with Hillman Properties of Pittsburgh.

"When we first fashioned and conceived the project—which was all based around a golf hall of fame—we assumed it would be a resort project that would eventually evolve into residential," recalls Jim Davidson. "We were a resort for about 25 days, and it was obvious there was a tremendous need for residential growth in the area. We immediately went into primary housing."

Yearly real estate sales at Davidson Realty, which employs 25 full-time agents, regularly top $100 million, with 75 percent coming from the 24 neighborhoods that make up World Golf Village.

More than $2 billion in construction has already been completed in the St. Johns County development, with at least three more large-scale commercial projects set to break ground in 2008.

But colleagues insist that success has not changed the Davidsons. Mainly, friends say, that’s because the couple remains committed to being good citizens and good parents.

Each year, they pour money and manpower back into the community through charitable endeavors. Joined by their employees and even World Golf Village residents, the couple has sent care packages to soldiers in Iraq, collected toys for underprivileged children’s organizations, participated in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica fundraiser (winning an award for most walkers) and sponsored a child through Dreams Come True.

Sherry Davidson has even gone so far as to co-found her own organization to bolster her passion, local public education. The Community Alliance Funding Education (CAF? has channeled $100,000 directly into St. Johns and Clay county schools since its inception in 2001.

It’s actually no surprise, say charities they’ve helped, that all these endeavors have won The Davidson Companies three consecutive Good Neighbor Awards. The Good Neighbor Awards are presented annually by Jacksonville Homebuyer and the Northeast Florida Builders Association to builders and developers for outstanding achievement in community service.

"Jim and Sherry have two of the biggest hearts that I have ever encountered," says Dreams Come True director of programming and development Joanna Blinn. "They are so sincere in their desire to make a difference and they’ve done a tremendous amount for our organization."

Adds Davidson Realty sales manager Karen Palmer, "People have no idea how much they actually give personally because they do a lot of it very quietly. And the projects that we do through the office truly bring everyone together and keep us connected to the needs in our community."

But the couple’s good deeds aren’t solely limited to Northeast Florida. For six years, they’ve traveled to Memphis for the Ladies Charity Skeet Classic, which Benefits St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital.

Sherry shoots while Jim pitches in for set-up, lunch duty and anywhere else he’s needed. And in 2007, the Davidsons sponsored 10 women from across the country and funded their trip and event fees.

"It was Sherry’s idea to open up the tournament to ladies who may not be able to afford it," says Louise Terry, national co-chair for the event. "The scholarship process was so successful that we’re going to continue to do it."

Despite all the accolades and recognition, the couple is quick to point out that family comes first. Their children Matthew, Peyton and Sam; Jim’s daughter Kristen; and two granddaughters live nearby.

"It’s perfect, and we love having everybody right here in World Golf Village," says Sherry Davidson. "Everything we do is based around our family. My friends say, ‘How do you get your kids to go on vacation with you?’ And I say, ‘How do you not?’"

Clearly, six-week excursions hunting and photographing exotic game is a powerful draw for extended family members. And the last six big game hunting trips have been to remote places in Africa, one of the most beautiful places on earth, raves Jim.

"When we hunt an elephant in a remote village in Africa, there’s not one ounce of the animal that’s wasted," Jim Davidson says. "We pay a fee to the village, which helps the community survive, to hunt in the first place. And there are at least 1,000 people lined up to take every single part. We waste more not eating scraps of fat at Outback Steakhouse. One hundred percent of whatever we hunt is used."

The Davidsons love their family trips so much that it’s crucial to have a highly professional team back home to keep the businesses humming.

"Everyone at our office wants to show Jim and Sherry that we’re okay if they aren’t here," says Palmer. "In a lot of offices, people goof off when the boss isn’t around. We respect them so much that we work even harder so they’ll enjoy their time away."

Future plans for The Davidson Companies include growing Davidson Realty to 40 agents and keeping an eye out for choice development projects. But for now, Sherry Davidson says, they have enough on their plate.

"We’ve found a good niche, we have good people who work well together and we’re really good at what we do in this market. And most importantly, this is also our home and our community," she notes. "Jim and I have a lot of fun together. We laugh that we’ll never retire, that they’ll have to wheel us in here when we’re 90, carrying our canes. We love what we do."