Meet the Principals of Kurke & Associates

               

David M. Ball is the Co-Principal of a consulting practice based in Pittsburgh, PA.  Kurke & Associates, Inc. provides: strategic, business, and implementation planning; customized training and leadership development; and executive coaching.

 

Mr. Ball has 39 years of diversified experience as an operations manager in large industrial operations, manufacturing technology, and information technology.  Since retiring from industry, he has been engaged in a variety of consulting activities with large and small businesses, as well as non-profit organizations.

 

He has successful experience in six countries, seven years of which was as the expatriate Chief Executive Officer of a rapidly growing software and information technology company.  He moved his company into new technologies and new markets, while growing a very small capital investment into a multimillion dollar operation.  He also has had significant international experience as a steel technology consultant.  Among other activities in this area, he did wall-to-wall technology and manufacturing assessments for two large steelmakers in China.  He was involved in the construction and startup of two steel mills in India and one in Thailand.  Domestically, Mr. Ball has successfully advised a number of small companies on structure and strategy, and continues to advise others as they grow.  He recently completed an acquisition and startup assignment for a glassmaker, during which he assisted in moving the company out of receivership, dealt with environmental and other regulatory issues, as well as a union contract.

 

During his manufacturing career, Mr. Ball served as the operations manager for several major operating facilities, during which time he implemented numerous programs that resulted in improved quality, increased productivity, and reduced costs.  As a technical manager, he delivered over 100 new projects, resulting in many millions of dollars of cost savings.  In a corporate capacity, he was responsible for technical strategic planning, and directed and implemented numerous company-critical projects.

 

Mr. Ball has served on numerous technical committees, has published and presented papers on a variety of topics that include steel making technology, steel making systems applications, manufacturing systems and processes, and steel industry economics.  He is a frequent speaker at local universities and technical functions, and has served as an Adjunct Professor at Duquesne University in the School of Business.  While serving abroad, he was appointed by the U. S. Ambassador to India to serve on the Board of Directors of the United States Educational Foundation (Fullbright Foundation) for three terms.

 

Mr. Ball received his BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Lehigh University, and his MBA from Duquesne University.

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