The Boeing Co. is turning 100 on July 15. Throughout the year, The Daily Herald is covering the people, airplanes and moments that define The Boeing Century. Some of these stories are from a special print report distributed on July 8, 2016.
Friday, July 8
Seven big moments that shaped the future of Boeing
Aerospace-industry mavens discuss Boeing’s next 100 years
Saturday, July 9
From roots in Seattle, Boeing has spread to far-flung sites
Mergers and buys expanded Boeing’s business beyond planes
Sunday, July 10
Scrappy at first, Boeing grew into a company built to last
To the moon: Boeing’s expertise boosted U.S. into space
Monday, July 11
In the early years, warplanes kept Boeing cruising
A car, a space plane … Boeing ideas that didn’t pan out
Tuesday, July 12
For Boeing families, company history is theirs, too
Boeing workers were ‘part of something remarkable’
Wednesday, July 13
Design firm pioneers virtual-reality tours of Boeing jets
Jetmakers eager to break Boeing’s grip on commercial market
Thursday, July 14
Boeing’s influence is felt in Washington and beyond
Data suggest aerospace tax breaks help attract suppliers
Local relationships with Boeing: many ups and downs
Friday, July 15
Boeing’s first 100 years: A timeline
Oso was site of Boeing’s only commercial-jet crash in state
Saturday, July 16
How Boeing’s labor relations have evolved
Renton has shared in Boeing’s highs and lows
Sunday, July 17
Wild ideas today may be Boeing aircraft tomorrow
A MESSAGE FROM SOUND PUBLISHING INC.
By Gloria Fletcher
President and CEO
Happy anniversary and congratulations to the Boeing Co.! Sound Publishing Inc., with its 49 community newspapers and websites, joins with many Washington state businesses to recognize and celebrate the Boeing Co.’s 100th anniversary.
It is impossible to contemplate Boeing without thinking about the company’s Pacific Northwest roots. Founder Bill Boeing, who was drawn to Washington state’s timber industry, rode in his first airplane in 1915 over Lake Washington and had an early float-plane hangar on Seattle’s Lake Union.
It is equally impossible to look around the Puget Sound region without seeing the many ways Boeing has fueled and shaped the places we call home. Today, more than 130,000 highly skilled workers are employed by 1,300 aerospace-related firms throughout the state, producing some of the world’s best-known and well-respected products and services.
As the company and the region have grown together, Boeing’s impact has stretched far beyond the economic and employment statistics. The company made its first donation to the University of Washington in 1917, helping start an aeronautical engineering program, and throughout its existence, has been a generous source of gifts and investments in our region’s educational, cultural and charitable institutions.
During its first 100 years, the Boeing Co. encountered its share of bumpy air. Fluctuations in the national economy, competition in the aeronautics industry, and inconstant political and military policies all challenged the company’s resilience. It certainly hasn’t always been easy for the behemoth company, yet Boeing has seemingly met each challenge with as much knowledge, experience and grace as possible.
Looking toward its next century, the company continues to trust its future to innovation. This has always been the Boeing way, from the first factory in a Duwamish River shipyard to the recently opened composite-wing assembly center in Everett. The ripple effect of Boeing innovation has brought hundreds of high-tech air-and-space companies to the Pacific Northwest.
Businesses and institutions in Washington state have been fortunate to have the Boeing Co. as a community partner. Sound Publishing knows the cities and communities it serves are strong, smart and prosperous places thanks to the contributions Boeing has made for 100 years.
For that, we say thank you!
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