John Davis (entrepreneur)
Encyclopedia
John F. Davis III is a millionaire entrepreneur and is the former chairman and CEO of Pegasus Solutions Inc. Davis is considered a visionary of hotel technology by many. He is currently CEO of BirchStreet Systems, Inc.
BirchStreet Systems is a hospitality-focused procure-to-pay
software as a service
(SaaS) company out of Newport Beach, California.
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is the oldest of five siblings. He graduated Texas Christian University (TCU)
in Fort Worth, Texas
and began his business-career in 1978 when he served as president of Mid-South Drilling Co. He is married to interior decorator Leah Davis, and has three sons, Beau (John F. Davis IV), Drew and Josh.
, a toll-free ordering system for the floral industry. It was in this company where Davis built up his business experience.
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.
Pegasus followed this model again in successfully launching Hotel Clearing Corporation which has become the leading processor of travel agent and other commissions across hotel companies.
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.".
Pegasus went public in a very successful initial public offering (IPO) in 1998. The company positioned itself as an electronic commerce company and saw its valuation soar to several times the original offering price. The stock fell during the dotcom bust back close to the original IPO price. In 2007, the company was taken private by a Boston based private equity firm Prides Capital.
On June 11, 2008 Davis left Pegasus 'to pursue other opportunities', effective immediately.
As of Nov. 10, 2008, Davis is CEO for Birch Street Systems.
BirchStreet Systems, Inc.
BirchStreet Systems, Inc. is an international procure-to-pay software system company that specializes in developing e-procurement and back office automation applications for the hospitality and lodging industries. BirchStreet Systems' applications are delivered over the Internet, using the...
BirchStreet Systems is a hospitality-focused procure-to-pay
Procure-to-pay
Procure-to-pay is a term used in the software industry to designate a specific subdivision of the procurement process.-Definition:The procure-to-pay systems enable the integration of purchasing department with account payables department...
software as a service
Software as a Service
Software as a service , sometimes referred to as "on-demand software," is a software delivery model in which software and its associated data are hosted centrally and are typically accessed by users using a thin client, normally using a web browser over the Internet.SaaS has become a common...
(SaaS) company out of Newport Beach, California.
Early life
Davis attended Broadmoor High SchoolBroadmoor High School
Broadmoor Senior High School is an accredited public high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.-About the school:Broadmoor High School was founded in 1960 and resides in the center of the historic Broadmoor Neighborhood of South Baton Rouge...
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is the oldest of five siblings. He graduated Texas Christian University (TCU)
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
in Fort Worth, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and began his business-career in 1978 when he served as president of Mid-South Drilling Co. He is married to interior decorator Leah Davis, and has three sons, Beau (John F. Davis IV), Drew and Josh.
1-800-Flowers
In 1982 Davis and business partner Jim Poage took ownership of 1-800-Flowers1-800-Flowers
1-800-Flowers is a floral and gift retailer and distribution company in the United States. It was one of the first retailers to use a 24 x 7 toll-free telephone number and the Internet for direct sales to consumers....
, a toll-free ordering system for the floral industry. It was in this company where Davis built up his business experience.
ATC Communications and Pegasus
Davis sold 1-800-Flowers 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.
Pegasus followed this model again in successfully launching Hotel Clearing Corporation which has become the leading processor of travel agent and other commissions across hotel companies.
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.".
Pegasus went public in a very successful initial public offering (IPO) in 1998. The company positioned itself as an electronic commerce company and saw its valuation soar to several times the original offering price. The stock fell during the dotcom bust back close to the original IPO price. In 2007, the company was taken private by a Boston based private equity firm Prides Capital.
On June 11, 2008 Davis left Pegasus 'to pursue other opportunities', effective immediately.
As of Nov. 10, 2008, Davis is CEO for Birch Street Systems.
Other activities
Davis serves on the board TRX Inc. and on the board of trustees of Texas Christian University.See also
- Travel technologyTravel technologyTravel technology is a term used to describe applications of Information Technology , or Information and Communications Technology , in travel, tourism and hospitality industry...