Rolly Davis - barlowbooks

Rolly Davis is founder and chairman of Ottawa-based WR Davis Engineering, a world leader in the technology that repels heat-seeking missiles used to attack aircraft and ships. Born in Smiths Falls, Ontario, Davis trained as a mechanical engineer at Carleton University and started the company that bears his name in 1975. Its initial growth came from a diverse range of businesses, from crash barriers to simulate vehicle accidents to wave generators and water tanks for regional jets. However, since the late 1980s, its expertise has increasingly focused on anti-missile equipment and technology. Over the past 15 years, Davis has gradually handed over the chief executive role to his son Tom. Two of his other three children, as well as his son-in-law, also work for the company. Davis now divides his time between Ottawa, his family’s lakeside compound in Quebec, and a home in South Carolina.