Raytheon leader David Boelens provided a one-hour showcase for students detailing the various ways supply chain strategy shapes global impact and emphasized the importance of relationships in professional growth.
May 07, 2025
By Alexandria Salinas
At the final Center for Supply Chain Innovation Speaker Series for the spring semester, the topic of strategy and survival was a constant theme. David Boelens, operations and supply chain integrated talent development lead at Raytheon, used real-life scenarios and his industry experience to explain to an auditorium full of students that supply chain decisions matter.
The event began with an introduction from Molly Kanthack, director of the Center for Supply Chain Innovation.
Boelens ’05 (MBA ’11) painted the picture through storytelling. He walked students through his journey as a 23-year-old Army leader in Iraq to leading supply chain strategies for one of the world's largest aerospace and defense companies.
He described the experience of a young medic wounded in action, whose life depended on a technology that wasn’t delivered on time – a moment that shaped his belief in supply chain’s real-world impact.
“If that company could have gotten the product to him at the right time, it would have made all the difference,” Boelens said.
Today, Raytheon operates under RTX’s umbrella with 185,000 employees and three main businesses: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon. Boelens described how programs like the Javelin missile system, vital to ongoing conflicts like Ukraine’s defense against Russia, move through life cycles from pursuit to startup to development, production and sustainment, and it all requires flawless supply chain execution.
Boelens also gave students a behind-the-scenes look at the complexities of managing supplier risk on classified programs, sharing how he once issued a stop-work order to an unstable international supplier — a move that demanded decisiveness, collaboration and trust. His advice to students: supply chain success starts with relationships.
An example of relationship building can be seen with the Raytheon Invitational Business Case Competition hosted by the Center for Supply Chain Innovation at Neeley, where leaders from across Raytheon converge virtually to judge teams from across the United States. Neeley’s long-standing partnership with Raytheon has given students a chance to dive into these real-world challenges through the annual Raytheon Invitational Business Case Competition.
Ava Scotchie, a junior majoring in supply and value chains management and finance, reflected on the experience.
“Participating in the 2024 Annual Raytheon Case Competition was not only a rewarding and enriching learning experience,” Scotchie said. “It was engaging and exciting. Getting involved in this competition has increased my confidence as a supply chain student.”
The 2024 winning teams:
- The first-place team received $10,000 and included Grace Dingelday at Mississippi State University, Hannah Ray at Northeastern State University and Tangy Franks at Howard University.
- The second-place team received $7,500 and included Ava Scotchie at Texas Christian University, Bradley Sills at Mississippi State, Molly Flathman at Northeastern University, Vishal Kumar at University of Texas at Dallas, and Shivang Kappor at Michigan State University. •
- The third-place team received $3,500 and included Jack Sweet at Cal Poly, Joshua Ahn at Texas Christian University, and Nathan Lewis at University of Texas at Dallas.
Robert Flores, who works in Talent & Career Development at Raytheon, shared that more than 20% of last year's Raytheon Case Competition participants secured summer internships or job offers at Raytheon through their involvement.
The next opportunity to compete – and possibly launch a career – is already on the calendar. The sixth annual Raytheon Case Competition will be held Oct. 4, 2025.
The Supply Chain Innovation Speaker Series organizers also thanked Raytheon leaders Robert Flores, Mike Rynbrandt, David Boelens and Justin Burns for their ongoing partnership with Neeley.
Boelens closed the speaker event by reminding students that in supply chain, the impact isn’t just on a spreadsheet; it’s on people. Building relationships, solving problems and moving fast when it matters most aren’t just skills. They’re the reason the right equipment gets where it needs to go, when lives are on the line.
