Jim Davis, Chairman of New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc., bought the Boston-based firm in 1972 when its six-person work force was making 30 pairs of running shoes a day. Today, New Balance employs approximately 4,000 people worldwide. Davis graduated from Middlebury (VT) College in 1966 with a degree in biology/chemistry. Davis has also been awarded several Honorary Doctorate degrees including one from his alma mater. Prior to taking over New Balance, Davis worked as a sales engineer at the LFE Corp. of Waltham, Mass., and as marketing manager for the Applied Geodata Systems Division of Techven Associates Inc. of Cambridge, Mass. Davis lives in Newton, Mass., with his wife Anne and has two children.