To cap his already impressive business career, David Price is unabashed about his final goal. "I want to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company," he declares, exuding the energy and optimism reminiscent of a newly minted MBA. Price makes clear, however, that it's not greater fame or fortune he's after —it's the challenge of leading a major company in the turbulent global economy.

A longtime executive at Monsanto and BFGoodrich, Price believes that the turmoil caused by forces such as consolidation, overcapacity, and technological change is best met with a blend of old-economy experience and new-economy innovation. "It takes a mix of perspectives," he observes. "Older companies must resist becoming mature, dull, and methodical. They need a youthful view." But Price, whose professional career has been complemented by civic involvement with entities such as the Urban League, YMCA, and United Way, also seeks that coveted CEO position in order to mix things up in another way: by giving young black men a role model for success in business. "We need more balance in how people look at, admire, and respect black men," he says.

A St. Louis, Missouri, native who credits his parents for pushing him to be his best, Price was captain of his high-school swim team, president of his fraternity at the University of Missouri-Rolla, and a drill instructor in the Army. "I was always very goal-oriented and wanted to lead," he recalls. Then, in the early 1970s, while working as a civil engineer at chemical-industry giant Monsanto in St. Louis, Price had an epiphany. He realized that "the people who run the world are businesspeople" and that many had studied at Harvard. So he set his sights on HBS.

When Price and his wife, Joyce (to whom he attributes much of his success), moved with their two young children to HBS in 1974, a lot of people thought he was crazy. "It was a huge risk," he admits. "We sold our house, our car, everything —and still barely scraped by. But it was the most rewarding experience of our lives. We realized we could make it in the larger world."

Price returned to Monsanto, moving up the ranks to president of its Performance Materials division, a $400 million enterprise. In 1997, he left the company to become president and COO of the Performance Materials unit at BFGoodrich in Ohio. There he led a $1.2 billion global operation producing polymers and additives for everything from electronics and sporting goods to food and drugs. Recently, with Goodrich focusing increasingly on the aerospace industry, Price oversaw the leveraged buyout of his division and bid farewell to Goodrich last spring. Now, at the top of his game, he's ready to move higher.

Price believes that with his experience and education comes a responsibility to make a difference. He sees a high-visibility CEO position on a continuum that has included decades of community service, mentoring, and leadership. "Starting with HBS, I've had the best training in the world," Price notes with a smile, adding, "If not me, then who?"

—Margie Kelley

Post a Comment