Homegrown exec returns to serve community
By Meliqueica Meadows
Of the St. Louis American
Born and raised in the Ville (at the corner of Euclid and St. Louis avenues), David Price went on to achieve unprecedented success in the corporate sector with the B.F. Goodrich Company, Monsanto and his own investment advisory company.
By any estimation, Price now could work anywhere in the world, but he recently chose to return to his hometown to serve as chairman of the YMCA of Greater St. Louis’ Board of Directors.
The YMCA is banking on Price’s impeccable track record in business to help the organization achieve several ambitious goals within the next few years, such as tripling the number of inner-city youth served by the organization.
“I think David’s a gentleman of great vision, compassion and commitment to the St. Louis community,” said Gary Schlansker, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater St. Louis.
“He grew up in St. Louis and knows the community well. He is a strong believer in the Y and our ability to make positive change in the community.”
A graduate of Sumner High School, Price was captain of the swim team. In fact, it was at the Pine Street Y that he learned those swimming skills – and found a safe place to enjoy Saturday nights at youth dances.
Price said, “I have known the Y a long time and had an appreciation that it did good things.”
Price’s friends and colleagues also have known him to do “good things.”
“When I started at Monsanto, he was a few years ahead of me. He was always generous with his time and sincere with his desire to see others succeed,” said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and former executive at Monsanto and Merisant.
Donald called Price “a dear friend and a true mentor” and “a great leader that people were willing to follow.”
Donald noted that even while Price’s work took him to other cities, he remained committed to St. Louis.
“He and his wife, Joyce, still had family here. They would fly back for Rams games. They stayed very connected to the city,” Donald said.
“They chose to return, which is a great thing for the city. St. Louis should count the Prices as great people assets for the city.”
Price has been married to his wife Joyce for 40 years, and the couple has two grown children. Daughter Danyale (Price) Dumas and her husband, Todd Dumas, are both lawyers living in New York. The couple’s son, Jason Price, is an asset manager working for the Connecticut State Treasurer managing $4 billion of private equity assets. He lives in New Haven, CT with his wife, Christina, who is a physician at the Yale Medical Center in New Haven.
“My family is my first love and the thing I enjoy the most,” said Price.
In his spare time, Price said he enjoys playing golf, reading historical action novels and the arts. He described himself as “a huge fan” of the St. Louis Black Repertory Company, the St. Louis Rams and Mizzou basketball. His wife, Joyce, is a member of the Black Rep’s board. He is a member of the board of the First Tee of Greater St. Louis that teaches golf and life skills to youngsters.
“In the 25 or so years I’ve known David, he has never failed to produce outstanding results,” said Dick Mahoney, Washington University Weidenbaum Center distinguished executive in residence and former CEO of Monsanto Company.
“He sets ambitious targets, motivates the people – then moves to the result unerringly.”
Price counts Mahoney and attorney Margaret Bush Wilson as two of his main mentors.
“She was the first African American (in St. Louis) to serve on a corporate board,” Price said. “With her pushing and making a difference, people like me got a chance at Monsanto.”
Price also is president, CEO and founder of Birdet Price, LLC, a management consulting and investment advisory company. The former executive vice-president of the B.F. Goodrich Company, president and CEO of the B.F. Goodrich Performance Materials and president of Monsanto Company’s Specialty Chemicals Division, Price earned his status as one of the highest-ranking African-American business executives in the corporate world. He is a member of two corporate boards, Tenneco, Inc. and CH2M Hill Inc.
Price has a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla, where he played football and pledged the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He later obtained an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business. He also was awarded an honorary professional degree of civil engineering from UM-Rolla.
He already has brought his business acumen to bear at the YMCA. He said the organization recently completed a five-year strategic plan to map out his role and the board’s role and to prioritize the organization’s needs.
“The goal for 2007 is to triple the number of inner-city kids we’re serving,” Price said of YMCA’s goals.
“Every young person has the potential to blossom to some greatness. But when there are a lot of barriers stressing the development, it stifles that greatness.”
Price said that if you help a disadvantaged youth, “then they can almost always help themselves. That’s why I’m committed to making it work. My role as chair is that of governance, stewardship and oversight.”
