BrownHEN Interviews Dave Durfee

January 10, 2008

BrownHEN Interviews Dave Durfee
Interview with David Durfee, CEO & Chief Scientist, Bay Computer Associates, Inc.

The Brown Hazeltine Entrepreneurial Network (BrownHEN) published the following interview with David Durfee, Brown '80, CEO & Chief Scientist, Bay Computer Associates, Inc., Cranston, RI.

1. David, why did you found your own engineering company rather than work for a large company?

My family has a retail hardware store that we all grew up working in. The environment there and the responsibility given to me allowed me to make significant change. After I graduated in engineering I went to work for a Fortune 500 company. As you might guess, sometimes you felt like you were trying to turn a supertanker.

In one sense, I continue to work for large companies as my firm does contract design for large firms. While the Dilbert cartoon sometimes seem all too real in these situations, being a consultant allows us to control the aspects of the job that have been assigned to us without too many big company distractions.

Many of our other clients are startup companies and it is great to be "in on the ground floor" where you can make a significant contribution to the success of a company.

2. We read discouraging things about the future of U.S. industry. Do you believe a place will continue to exist for a company like yours?

People told us we were crazy to start a consulting firm in Rhode Island. When we started, we had to compete with larger firms that were located closer to the 128 tech loop. Now they tell us we are crazy to compete against India and China. It certainly is true that we are competing with overseas vendors.

We believe that customers will always value excellence. As with many vocations, there are large variations in productivity. What good is it to pay 1/3 the US hourly rate if it is taking you four times as long to get the job done? While our engineers may complain occasionally about the "high bar" that we have set, they are proud of our achievements.

3. You are noted for being a very successful teacher at Brown. Teaching must distract from your other work. Why do you do it?

I went to graduate school so I could be a professor. Well, I guess I spent too much time around professors and decided that the job wasn’t for me. The teaching part was always fun. Also, I think it is one way that I can "give back." I remember sitting in engineering classes wondering, "what the hell is this guy talking about?" I work hard at giving real life engineering examples so that the students can see how important what we’re teaching will be to them.

It’s really great that I get to teach one course a year. I do have to say that I have little free time while I’m teaching but it’s only for one semester.

4. In your business, do you have to spend much time with legal or regulatory matters?

I suppose the answer is yes if the term “legal” applies to submitting and subverting patents. As far as regulatory goes, I think that is one thing that has made us successful. We have designed a number of devices that have been registered with the FDA. Our proven ability to comply with FDA (and European) regulations has been very helpful to our customers.

5. You father was well known in Rhode Island politics. Do you have thoughts of running for office?

I asked my dad a while ago why he got into politics with all the negatives about the job. His answer was very simple. He simply got angry over what he saw and decided to run for office himself. I’m certainly angry enough, I just don’t have the time between school, work, and family right now.

6. Do you worry about conflicts of interest in hiring Brown faculty members and recent graduates?

I worry about conflicts of interest all the time. Honesty and integrity are very important in addition to excellence in engineering. (It's even in the IEEE Code of Ethics!) Any dealings that my company or I have with the University are very public and usually involve me putting in extra hours “on the house.” (I’ve discovered that alumni are suckers for helping the University and I am no exception.)

7. How to you keep up with technological developments?

My wife laughs at me. When we go to the beach, I bring a book on data communications or motor control. Engineering is a craft. Like any craftsman, your vocation needs to be part of who you are and not just a 9 to 5 job for you to be successful.

8. What is your vision of the future of Bay Computer Associates, Inc.?

The future vision hasn’t changed much in 17 years. We want to continue to do really interesting engineering designs and work with intelligent, hard working people. It tends to feed on itself. As you hire great people you do better engineering which results in more interesting work. Each year has brought bigger and more exciting engineering work to us.

9. What are the five qualities you would ascribe to a business leader / entrepreneur?

Work ethic, intelligence, experience, honesty, and integrity—there is no ranking. You need all of them.

10. Who are the three individuals who have influenced your development the most?

You’ve posed a very difficult question. So many people have influenced me. If I must list only three:

• My parents for my work ethic and interest in how things work.
• My wife. Without her influence I would have a tendency to treat the whole world (people included) as an engineering problem.
• Barrett Hazeltine for lessons on how to "pay it forward."

11. Would you speak about fear as a motivation or hindrance toward accomplishment? How has that played a factor in your path, if any?

I guess fear of failure and a fear of losing customers could explain why we work so hard. I prefer to look at it as the desire to achieve excellence.

12. What is it like having a son at Brown?

My son seems to be enjoying Brown. He seldom calls (which I view as a positive thing). I never talked to him about being an engineer but that is what he decided to do. It is great to be able to relate directly to his experiences. In fact, he told me about this really great professor that runs up the aisle to shake the hand of students who give the right answer! (I’m told that Barrett now says, "Am I making sense?," instead of the, "Is everybody ok?" that I used to hear.)