Blog

It has been my distinct privilege to write the histories of some of the world’s greatest companies, these giant institutions opening their archives to me and providing unfettered access to their current and former executive leadership. My books on such companies as Ford, Coors, Conoco, Airstream and many others have been well received and in the case of Ford and Coors, best-sellers. I’ve now added one more book to this list—my history of The Boeing Company. I’ve spent the past two years rummaging through the history of Boeing to write “Higher: 100 Years of Boeing,” available on Amazon and in bookstores in August. Boeing began of modest means in a Seattle boat house, but thanks to tenacious leadership and a highly innovative workforce it would create aircraft that won wars, transported human beings to the Moon, and constantly raised the bar for its competitors, companies like McDonnell-Douglas, Hughes Aircraft and North American Aviation (Rockwell), all acquired by Boeing through the decades. Boeing’s history is an engrossing story of a company with superior aeronautical design, engineering and production skills, whose name is synonymous with flight around the world. It is also a revealing narrative of a global business undaunted by the stiffest challenge, with a willingness to take on huge financial risks for the betterment of humankind.