David Boulay, Ph.D., is the president of the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC, Illinois MEP). His leadership has developed from diverse settings that extend from a family-owned business to manufacturing, universities, and nonprofits. These various experiences help guide IMEC’s strategic direction to serve as a catalyst for small- and mid-sized company competitiveness.
Boulay grew up in a family-owned business where he learned first-hand about the trials, challenges, and pride that is experienced by the owners and leaders of the companies IMEC works with. He has worked in various manufacturing roles from food plant sanitation to maintenance supervision to production, plant manager, and business unit manager in companies such as Frito-Lay and Pillsbury. Through these experiences, Boulay learned how company success is reliant on the skills and talents of its workforce. This has driven his passion in human resource development.
His Ph.D. included a primary focus on high-performance work practices in small- and mid-sized companies and career pathways for workers. He brings a diverse blend of expertise in performance management, small business development, and organizational growth strategies to IMEC. Boulay has helped create and implement several initiatives to increase the flow of state and federal funding to manufacturers for projects, update worker skills, and help smaller manufacturers adopt new technology and business practices to improve energy efficiency.
