Company: Boeing Company

Founder: William E. Boeing

Industry: Aerospace and Defense

History:

Boeing Company was founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing as Pacific Aero Products Co. after the maiden flight of the B&W seaplanes a month earlier. The B&W seaplanes were designed by Boeing and were constructed with the help of US Navy engineer George Conrad Westervelt. On May 1917, the enterprise was renamed to Boeing Airplane Company.

Ten years later, Boeing created an airline company, Boeing Air Transport. In 1928, Boeing Air Transport fused with Pacific Air Transport; a year later the company was renamed to become United Airline and Transport Corp. Several more acquisitions followed.

The first passenger aircraft came into reality with the Boeing 247. Dubbed as the first commercial aircraft, the plane boasted of its speed and comfort. Such features prompted Boeing to build sixty more for its own commercial operations, badly hurting competing airline companies in the process.

Under the Air Mail Act of 1934, airline companies and aircraft manufacturers were prohibited to operate under the same corporate enterprise. This prompted Boeing to split his company into three independent companies: Boeing Airplane Company, United Aircraft Corp. and United Airlines. Ultimately, Boeing traded his shares.

Prior to and after World War II, the Boeing Company developed a huge number of commercial aircrafts. Some of the commercial aircrafts built by Boeing and still operational are:

• Boeing 314 Clipper – giant seaplane; inaugurated in 1938; can carry 90 passengers
• Model 307 Stratoliner – world’s first pressurized aircraft; inaugurated in 1938; can cruise at 20,000 ft above sea level
• Boeing 737 – best-selling commercial aircraft in aviation history; inaugurated in 1968; it has become the backbone of almost every major commercial airline company in the world.

During and after the Second World War, Boeing also produced its own line of military aircraft. Boeing was also active in other aerospace pursuits, among them, the space explorations projects by NASA. Also notable is Boeing’s commitment in developing defensive capabilities, which includes ballistics and anti-missile defenses.

Presently, Boeing is exploring the possibilities of creating aircraft employing radical technologies.

Leadership:

Boeing Company Board of Directors

• John H. Biggs – Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund
• John E. Bryson – Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, Edison International
• Arthur D. Collins Jr. – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic, Inc.

• Linda Z. Cook – Executive Director Gas & Power, Managing Director, Royal Dutch Petroleum Company
• William M. Daley – Chairman of Midwest region for JPMorgan Chase & Co.

• Kenneth M. Duberstein – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Duberstein Group
• General James L. Jones, USMC (Ret.) – Retired Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander, U.S. European Command.
• Edward M. Liddy – Chairman, The Allstate Corporation

Trivia:

Boeing Everett Factory, Boeing’s main manufacturing building located in Seattle is the world’s largest factory in terms of volume.