Dwight “Big D” Davis, co-founder and partner of self-storage real estate and property-management firm Pegasus Group, died on June 20. He was 77.

Davis entered the self-storage industry almost by accident. He and his business partner, Bill Schmicker, were primarily investing in mobile-home parks in the late 1980s. After they purchased two parks in 1988 that contained about 200 self-storage units, they co-founded Pegasus to invest in the storage industry. The company acquired more than 60 properties between 1988 and 1994, branding them as Central Self Storage.

Following the company’s launch, Davis began attending conferences and tradeshows, and served as a board member for the Self Storage Association. He was “a well-respected ambassador for the storage industry,” according to colleagues, who say he mentored others and was an advocate of the technological evolution that helped shape the industry. Though he remained a partner with Pegasus, he was semi-retired at the time of his death.

Davis also had a love for aviation, skiing, horseback riding, mountain climbing and ranching. He’s survived by his wife, Glee Ann, as well as his children and grandchildren.

Based in Walnut Creek, California, Pegasus Group owns and operates more than 50 properties throughout the United States. It also owns Mountain Vista, a manufactured-home community in Tucson, Arizona, and Peter’s Landing Marina in Huntington Beach, California.