As a boy Joshua Davis couldn’t wait to get to his gran’s house on a Saturday. It was the chance to immerse himself in endless documentaries about the Greeks, Romans, Vikings and other ancient civilisations.
He’d enthusiastically soak up this ancient world, fascinated by the objects and structures left behind. Mr Davis also loved the British TV show Time Team, which carried out archaeological digs.
These shows fired his imagination, led Mr Davis to study archaeology and start his own heritage management company, Trace Enterprises.
“I fell in love with archaeology on those Saturdays,” says Mr Davis, who moved to Perth from the UK in his 20s. “One of the first projects I worked on while still studying was Barrack Street Jetty, where we found so many objects which spoke to the history of the city.
“While people often find heritage a negative aspect of the development process, we always look for positive ways for our clients to move forward. This often includes incorporating heritage into the designs. Look at what the new museum has done. It’s a beautiful example of what can be incorporated into a design with thought and planning. I love the way the previous history of the building has also been honoured as well as pieces of Aboriginal culture integrated into the design. It’s important to display our heritage and be proud of it.”
Two years after graduating and working for a couple of other local companies, Mr Davis decided to go out on his own. Within three days of opening his doors, Trace had his first client. Mr Davis hit the ground running and while consulting to his clients, started a crash course in how to run a business. He remains fascinated and intrigued by the art of business, always learning and taking in new ideas. He reads roughly one new business book a week (even though some of them are really dry) and believes in continuous learning. Each time he comes up against a new business concept, he makes it his business to learn.
“When I was younger, I blamed everyone else for what wasn’t going right. I realised it was my fault. That was a great epiphany. I realised I needed to change and had to make things happen for myself. That has made me ambitious. Now I’m always looking for business opportunities and areas to invest in.”
Mr Davis started as a sole trader in 2018 under the name Major Oak Heritage Services, a nod to The Major Oak, Sherwood Forest’s most famous resident after Robin Hood. Located in Nottinghamshire, it’s where the archaeologist grew up. In 2020 he set up the company Trace Archaeology and a year later opened Trace Ecology. Last year the ecology company was absorbed into Trace Archaeology and rebranded as Trace Enterprises. Towards the end of 2023 they expanded their services into urban and regional planning.
With these three arms under Trace Enterprises, the company is now a one-stop shop for comprehensive town planning, urban planning and design, heritage consultations and environmental impact assessments.
Mr Davis says Trace is committed not only to aesthetic and functional design but to long-term sustainability and inclusivity. While ensuring a project is compliant with all regulations, they are also determined to make sure it contributes positively to the community and environment.
“We’re independent and usually the mediators between two groups. Each time we hope to create a win-win. We pride ourselves on lightning-fast turn-around times for all of our reports that save our clients valuable time and money.”
With a constant eye to the future, Mr Davis says he’s always looking for options to grow and expand. Adding new areas to the business was an opportunity to provide a holistic view of heritage management, both in an Aboriginal context and a general history one. It was also an opportunity to break into a new market that was still related to Trace’s core business and strengthen it, which it has done.
Though he’s not yet ready to announce it, expect further expansion this year. At the moment, the Trace team numbers 20, with almost all of them working in the field.
“We have a team who are passionate and beautiful to work with. One thing I love about this business – people are passionate about it. One of the best parts of my job is watching the team work together and seeing the culture we have built actually work.”
While he still loves documentaries and may have grown up on an archaeological diet of ancient Europe, once Mr Davis started working around Western Australia he fell in love again, this time with Aboriginal history and culture.
“As part of our Aboriginal cultural heritage management work, I have been privileged to meet elders on sites and they have shown me things and shared stories with me. Especially when I started and was often one of the youngest men on the job, so those interactions taught me a lot.”
