Pegasus founder John F. Davis III named executive-in-residence

Fort Worth, TX

9/25/2008

– John F. Davis II, Founder of Pegasus Solutions Inc a leading worldwide provider of hotel reservations-related services and technology, has joined the Neeley School of Business at TCU as executive-in-residence beginning September 2008.

“John has a most distinguished and successful professional career, having recently retired as chairman and CEO of Pegasus Solutions,” said O. Homer Erekson, John V. Roach Dean of the Neeley School. “As a visiting lecturer in classes and to student organizations, John’s insight into business, entrepreneurship and technology will significantly influence our academic programs. He will be a world-class mentor, helping our students identify complex issues facing the global business community and approach them with creative solutions.”

In 1989, Davis launched Pegasus Electronic Distribution switch technology, a system created to link central reservations systems for hotels with major global airline distribution systems. Today, the technology connects approximately 86,000 hotels to the global distribution systems as well as to alternative distribution channels such as the Internet. In 2000, he led Pegasus’ acquisition of REZsolutions Inc, the hotel industry's largest third-party marketing and reservation provider. He created Travelweb.com the first site to offer real-time online hotel reservations for agents and Internet users.

Earlier in his career, Davis founded a toll-free ordering company, 1-800-FLOWERS, for the floral industry. He sold that company and founded a telemarketing company, ATC Communications. Within two years, ATC's sales jumped from zero to $25 million and it became one of the nation's largest providers of inbound and outbound telemarketing services. Prior to these entrepreneurial successes, Davis was president of Mid-South Drilling Company as well as the campaign director and treasurer for Senator John G. Tower's re-election campaign in 1978.

Davis has received numerous business honors, including: Business Travel News’ Travel Industry Hall of Fame and was named six times to their annual 25 Most Influential Executives; Lodging magazine’s Top 75 Executives in the Hotel Industry; Interactive Travel Report’s Person of the Year in Interactive Travel; one of the 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry by Meeting News; Travel Agent Magazine's People of the Year; Computerworld’s Agent of Change; Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals’ Hall of Fame; and Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association’s President’s Award of Excellence.

Davis holds a BBA in management from the Neeley School and is an active supporter of TCU, including serving on the Neeley International Board of Visitors and the TCU Board of Trustees.

“I look forward to interacting with Neeley business students,” said Davis. “I hope that the successes and setbacks that I have experienced in business will stimulate their learning experience and provide powerful insight into how they implement their careers.”