What We Believe
Our ship is steered not by the fickle winds of industry trends, but by the founding morals and principles from which our vision was forged.
Elevation
Ever heard of The Campsite Rule? At its essence, it asserts that every visitor to a campsite bears the responsibility of leaving it in better condition than when they arrived. This principle captures, as wholly as possible, the ambition of DLB – to positively impact each and every partner we encounter on our journey. We aim to uplift the spirit and condition of every tenant, employee, and contractor – every building, street and neighborhood. Once we’ve done our job, all of them will be better off for having crossed our path.
Autonomy
On some level, all businesses have the same origin. Folks like to refer to it as “the entrepreneurial spirit” – and it boils down to a desire for autonomy – to be the master of one’s own destiny, and to direct your life and action in alignment with your own vision. We carry this tenet with us into each work day and every property, approaching each project with an open mind, never settling for the expected or the standard without first exploring what solution is truly best.
Inspiration
We aim to feed the natural passions and motivations of the people we connect with, and channel that inner fire to forge meaningful partnerships with those who share our vision.
Stewardship
Stewardship, defined as – the responsible oversight and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving – is a concept we take to heart around here.
Investment, to us, is a bigger concept than simply injecting funds into an endeavor in the interest of future profits. Our investment in our hometown of Dayton, Ohio is anchored to a belief in the people and the future of the city, and a commitment to being instrumental in its ascent. That means looking at investment less like the stock market and more like a garden – we don’t put money on the table and wait for it to grow. We plant seeds, water them, and when the time comes for harvest, the whole village is fed.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a term that is thrown around a lot these days. To us, sustainability is just an expression of our ethics and ethos, put into practice in the built environment. When we do HVAC, we go for high efficiency and low operational costs. When we do plumbing, we choose the longest-lasting, lowest toxicity materials possible. When we design, we specify advanced framing, tight shells, and tough systems – and we are always learning how to be better than average. It's another way you can count on us to deliver long lasting, reliable results with the lowest ongoing costs possible.
Standards
We're sure you've heard the phrase "To Code". To us, that sounds like "If this were built any worse, it would be illegal to live in". Every wall, pipe, wire and system we touch gets upgraded to be longer-lasting, sturdier, and safer. We don't design or build to today's code, but to future codes that will inevitably be stricter, ensuring that we remain not only compliant, but over-achieving. That’s the difference between leaving a shadow, and leaving a legacy.
