10 Things You Didn’t Know about Texas Rangers Owner Ray Davis
Ray Davis is a businessman of note. Primarily, this is because he is the co-owner as well as the co-Chairman of the Texas Rangers, though his lack of interest in the spotlight means that he isn’t as well-known as his more flamboyant counterparts.
1. Went to LeTourneau University
Education-wise, Davis went to LeTourneau University, where he studied for a Master of Business Administration degree. The school is named for its founders R.G. LeTourneau and his spouse Evelyn, who founded in February of 1946. Due to this, LeTourneau’s first students were made up of veterans returning home from the Second World War for the most part.
2. He Made His Own Fortune
Some businessmen built up their fortunes on the foundations laid out by their predecessors. In contrast, others are self-made in the sense that they played the biggest part in their rise to wealth. Davis is a case of the latter rather than the former, seeing as how he made his fortune over the course of three decades in the energy industry.
3. Specialized in Pipelines
Of course, saying that someone was in the energy industry doesn’t actually say that much about the exact nature of their activities. After all, the energy industry encompasses a wide range of companies running a wide range of operations, meaning that one example can be very different from the next. Those who are curious about Davis should know that his fortune was built on natural gas distribution with pipelines being a particular point of focus.
4. Hasn’t Always Been Successful in Business
Since Davis is a billionaire, it is no exaggeration to say that he has been very, very successful in the world of business. However, it is interesting to note that this hasn’t always been the case. For instance, David decided to take up a position as the CEO of Healthco in 1991. However, he remained in said role for no more than a short period of time before the dental supplies distributor declared bankruptcy in 1993.
5. Has an Investment Company
Nowadays, Davis has an investment company called Avatar Investments, L.P. Said investment company is family-owned. Moreover, it is diversified in nature, which is presumably to make sure that it can earn respectable numbers from its investments without becoming too exposed to potential problems in the process.
6. Very Uninterested in Interviews
Davis is very uninterested in interviews. For proof, look no further than the fact that he didn’t give an interview as a co-owner of the Texas Rangers until four years and eight months after becoming so, which came complete with a very self-aware joke that it might be the last interview that he would ever give. With that said, this isn’t a lack of interest in the MLB franchise. Instead, it is a matter of personality that has made it so that Davis has very little interest in seeking out the spotlight.
7. Took On More of a Role in the Texas Rangers than Expected
In the interview, Davis revealed that he took on more of a role in running the Texas Rangers than what he had expected when he made the initial investment. Apparently, he was planning to treat the whole thing as nothing more than an investment. However, it is clear that said attitude has long since faded away, seeing as how Davis is now very much involved in the financial side of things for the MLB franchise. However, it should be mentioned that Davis’s involvement in the financial side of things isn’t the same as an involvement in the baseball side of things, which is something that he leaves to the baseball professionals.
8. Understands the Potential Downside of Not Giving Interviews
Even though he is less than enthusiastic about being interviewed, Davis shows a clear understanding of the potential downside of not giving interviews. In fact, one of the main reasons that he chose to give an interview was because he wanted to dispel some of the concerns that had popped up because of fans with unanswered questions. As such, his intent with the interview was to project a sense of accountability as well as a sense of reassurance to the Texas Rangers fans that make the MLB franchise possible.
9. Believes that Running a Baseball Team Is a Long-Term Matter
Davis hasn’t been particularly outspoken on this particular issue. However, it seems safe to say that he sees running a baseball team as something that is long-term in nature. Simply put, a successful baseball team isn’t something that can be built up in a single day even if the baseball team owner is willing to throw huge sums of money at it. Instead, it takes a lot of time to bring together the right leaders as well as the right baseball players. Never mind everything else that is necessary for success in the MLB.
10. Sees the Texas Rangers As a Legacy
Interestingly, Davis apparently sees the Texas Rangers as a legacy of sorts. As a result, he isn’t interested in making the Texas Rangers as sound as possible on the financial statements before selling the baseball team on to the next investor. Something that once concerned a fair number of Texas Rangers fans because of his silence on the matter. Instead, it seems that Davis is planning to remain involved with the baseball team for the foreseeable future. Amusingly, while Davis is fond of baseball, he has joked about his wife being the real baseball enthusiast in the family, so much so that she spends a lot of time watching even West Coast baseball games.
