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Stephen Taylor

Sustaining A Legacy, Improving Lives Through CRE

Updated: Jul 27, 2022



The Will Group began in 1986 when founder, Stephen L. Davis, had a vision of a business that would honor the legacy of his father and promote the core values of integrity, pride, and hard work that his father, William “Will” Edward Davis emulated. Will understood the importance of hard work, and that by empowering people with jobs, communities would begin to thrive. From modest beginnings, this dynamic business environment began by supplying light fixtures and ancillary electrical products in the Chicagoland area. Today, The Will Group has grown, evolved, and expanded into a shared services company.

Operating under the philosophy and mission “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way”, the corporate culture of The Will Group fosters ingenuity and creativity with every endeavor. The company’s competitive distinction is its ability to be an all-encompassing resource for lighting, infrastructure, electrical, manufacturing, and sourcing needs. By directing the industry to its clients’ companies, The Will Group makes positive contributions to the industry's needs and bottom line. This process is not just transactional, its transformational.

Our new 60,000 square-foot K-Town Business Centre centralizes and expands its existing facilities in Chicago, IL. Phase two begins this year, where the facility will double in size. As a company, our top priority is to provide jobs to local residents. By creating jobs, The Will Group is creating social capital in neighborhoods that need it the most. With its commitment, communities begin to change, creating an ecosystem we all can be proud of. These manufacturing jobs are not only a driver of economic growth—they are also the vehicle through which economic growth is broadly shared to raise living standards–neighborhood by neighborhood.

For us, it is about making critical investments that change the landscape of our communities, workforce, and our industry ecosystem for a sustainable future. The Will Group is a purpose-driven company that believes small changes can make a big impact. Our K-Town Business Centre is located on the west side of the city in a neighborhood that has been associated with a plague of violence and poverty, the efforts we have underway are aimed at changing that perspective. We are proud to have assembled upwards of 300,000 fixtures for the city of Chicago in the heart of the westside, supporting the $160 million Chicago Smart Lighting Program at K-Town by our client company, Lyons View Manufacturing. As a company, we have invested over $20 million in the community and have the potential to create over 100 jobs for local residents.


The Smart Lighting Program is the largest city-led streetlight modernization program and is said to have improved the quality of nighttime visibility throughout the city and is projected to save Chicago taxpayers $100 million in electricity costs over the next ten years. This program is also paramount to a city’s experience including improving safety for pedestrians and vehicles, enhancing tourism, and reducing the carbon footprint. It will improve energy efficiencies, maintenance and reduce greenhouse emissions without reduced waste.

We truly believe, “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way.” The world is changing so rapidly that we all need to not just be participants, but leaders of change. That means we need to quickly adapt and support re-tooling human attributes that demonstrate independence, integrity, work ethic, and resiliency.

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Stephen Taylor, Director, Professional Services, and REAP Alumni began with the organization in January of 2020. Since joining the organization, Stephen has helped build the company’s nationwide footprint as a preeminent partnering organization for top-tier professional project support in construction and energy efficiency sectors. Project highlights include The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago and the new terminal expansion developments at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.



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