John Davis (entrepreneur)
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John F. Davis III is a billionaire entrepreneur tycoon and is currently the chairman and top executive of Pegasus Solutions Inc. John graduated Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas and began his business-career in 1978 when he served as president of Mid-South Drilling Co. Soon after, he founded 1-800-Flowers, a toll-free ordering system for the floral industry.
Davis sold that company and founded ATC Communications and in 1989, he launched the Pegasus Electronic Distribution Switch technology, a system created to link central reservation systems for hotels with major global airline distribution systems.
In growing Pegasus, Davis had to get participation from some of the world's largest hotel chains, many of which were arch rivals. His ability to get these companies to see beyond competitive issues, grasp how automation and technology could serve the industry as a whole was, observers say, paramount to Pegasus' initial success.
In 2000, he led Pegasus' acquisition of REZsolutions Inc., a marketing and reservation provider in the hotel industry. As a result of the acquisition, Pegasus grew from 150 employees to 1,500 employees in 11 countries.
His latest initiative as chief executive of Pegasus includes the creation of Travelweb L.L.C., formerly known as Hotel Distribution System.
"I believe in delegating," Davis said. "And, I want to make sure that everyone (in the company) has the tools they need to be successful."
Davis serves on the boards of Pegasus and TRX Inc. and on the board of trustees of Texas Christian University.
