Tervis was founded in 1946 by engineers Frank Cotter and G. Howlett Davis in Detroit, Michigan. The company’s name was created by combining the last three letters of each founder's surname. Tervis patented its innovative design for insulated tumblers made to keep drinks hot or cold for extended periods of time. In the 1940s, John C. Winslow purchased Tervis. Since then, the company has grown, introducing a wide variety of designs and sizes of its signature tumblers.