President & CEO, W.S. Darley & Co.
Paul C. Darley is President & CEO of W.S. Darley & Co. Under his leadership, sales have increased over 300% in less than 10 years to over $110 million in 2010. He began in pump sales in 1985 and was named Vice President for the Fire Pump Division of W.S. Darley & Co. in 1990. In 1997, he became President and COO in 1997 and was appointed President & CEO in 2010.
Founded in 1908, W.S. Darley & Co is a fourth generation family business, led by Paul and an executive team that has transformed this 103 year old company into a world leader in the fire fighting industry with ISO 9001 certification and an electronic catalog of more than 10,000 items. The company has recently been awarded major Department of Defense Contracts.
He is Past President of the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association (FAMA) after serving on its board for the past 5 years. Paul is the youngest person to ever serve as president of this 60-year-old organization. He also served on the Board of Directors of Fire & Emergency Manufacturers & Services Association (FEMSA) for seven years. Paul Darley currently serves on the Board of the National Defense Industry Association (NDIA) for the Great Lakes Chapter.
Paul has traveled to over 65 countries in his 25-year tenure, and has made over 200 industry speaking engagements.
Paul is a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago and he holds a BS Degree in Marketing and Finance from Marquette University. He earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Paul is involved with numerous charitable and service organizations including Past Chairman of the Windy City Chapter of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), as well as the Board of Directors for Metra and A New Day Cambodia.
Paul is married to his high school sweetheart and together they are raising three daughters in Elmhurst, IL.