Jeffery Davis

Family: Married to Judy; four children — Jessica Buss (BS Nursing, 2000), Kristi, Bo and Cody

Work: United States Beef Corporation, the second largest franchisee of Arby’s restaurants in the nation; chief executive officer since 1992

Hometown: Tulsa

FAVORITES
  • Childhood Memory: Family vacations with cars that broke down. We would usually leave very late in the day and drive all night to save on hotel costs.
  • Memory of TU: Football and basketball games, Derby Days, and believe it or not, study groups.
  • Vacation Destination: Escaping to Grand Lake to relax.
LIFE LESSONS
  • What is the most important lesson you ever learned?
    Watching my parents picket a local restaurant to allow blacks to enter the front door and eat. As I got older, I realized that the idea of a restaurateur picketing another restaurateur was very gutsy. The possibility of being “blackballed” did not stop them.
  • If you were entering college today, what would you study?
    I would probably still choose marketing and management because I love that part of the business. However, I would spend much more time in finance and accounting than just the required classes.
  • What are you most proud of?
    My family. I like to spend as much time as I possibly can with my wife and children. I am very involved in my church, and I enjoy spending time with friends.
  • What influenced your career?
    I didn’t think I could go to college unless I had a football scholarship, so I went to New Mexico Highlands University in the fall of 1970 and hurt my knee. My father and I sat down and decided that if I was paid minimum wage for all the hours I’d put in football, I could afford the tuition to TU. (In my mind, TU was like an Ivy League school.) I decided that if I worked and studied very hard, I could get an education from one of the finest schools in the country. So, I worked full-time managing a restaurant while I went to TU. The first high point of my career was building and opening our third restaurant with the close supervision of my father — although I thought I was doing it myself. So, working with my parents in the restaurants they owned influenced my career.