Can `Gq Bob' Give Dec A Winning Makeover?

Robert B. Palmer is one to seize the moment. In 1970, as a young chip designer and co-founder of Mostek Corp., he visited Sprague Electric's Lab in North Adams, Mass. In a corner, he spied an odd contraption Sprague had abandoned, recalls L.J. Sevin, another Mostek founder and now a venture capitalist. Palmer realized it could be adopted to fix a nagging problem Mostek faced in building momory chips. He was right and his quick insight "had huge commercial inplictions," says Sevin.

That ability to salvage failed ideas should serve him well as CEO of $14 billion Digital Equipment Cor. In his seven years at DEC, Palmer has proved he can make things happen. As head of semiconductor operations, he got prototypes of DEC's Alpha, It's RISC chip, working in 20 days, not the usual 20 weeks, Getting Alpha to market quickly is crucial for DEC, which badly needs a successfull product to replace the 500,000 VAC minicomputers customers hav installed. Palmer's role in the project inpressed DEC directors and helpd pave his path to succeed founder Kenneth H. Olsen. "He has leadership qualities," says director Thomas L. Phillips, retured chairman of Raytheon Co. "He knows how to make a plan and abide by it."