Early Years and Education and Business Career
Davis' early years were spent in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; he moved with his family to Buffalo, New York after World War II. His father was an engineer, and Davis discovered early on that he liked working on cars with his father and building things. He graduated from Amherst Central High School in 1951. He enrolled in the University of Buffalo, where he majored in industrial engineering and received his degree in 1955.
Davis completed Marine Corps Officer Training as a reservist while in college, and served three years as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard upon graduation. He began work as an engineer in 1958, first at General Motors as a maintenance engineer, then at The Carborundum Company as a supervising sales engineer.
He started his silicon carbide heating element manufacturing business, I Squared R Element, in 1964 in a garage, and now employs 75 people in Akron, New York who receive employer provided health care and pension benefits. He has touted the fact that he has never outsourced any jobs. According to 2011 financial disclosure statements, Davis' net worth is between $18.2 million and $83.4 million (about half that of his opponent Jane Corwin).
Read more about this topic: Jack Davis (industrialist)
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