John Davis

John F. Davis III (born 1953) is an entrepreneur, educator, and a member of the Texas Christian University Board of Trustees. He is a co-founder of 1-800-Flowers and a former CEO of Pegasus Solutions, Birch Street Systems and Room Key. Early life Davis was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he attended Broadmoor High School. He is the oldest of five siblings. Davis graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas with a bachelor's in business administration. Following his graduation, Davis briefly became involved in politics, serving as U.S. Senator John Tower's campaign director during Tower's successful 1978 reelection bid. Following his work on Tower's campaign, Davis ran for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives and lost a close race. Career Davis' business career began in 1978, when he became president of Mid-South Drilling Co. In 1982, he co-founded 1-800-FLOWERS, then a toll-free phone ordering system for the floral industry, with business partner Jim Poage. He sold his stake in the company to James McCann in 1984. Davis founded a telemarketing company, ATC Communications, in 1984. By the time he sold the business in 1989, ATC Communications had 1,200 employees.