| (1921
- 1999) |
| Inducted: |
1989 |
| Region: |
West |
| Industry: |
Transportation
|
|
Thornton A. Wilson insisted that he was not a strategist and that he did not have any grand plans. His modesty belies the fact that he guided Boeing through two major recessions and left the company with $566 million in earnings in 1985, the last of his 17 years at the helm. Taking over a faltering company in 1969, Wilson immediately administered violent therapy. He slashed 95,000 people from the company payroll, reducing Boeing's work force by almost two-thirds. He also told his engineers to design each new model of airplane so that it could spawn new versions in what seemed an endless stream. The strategy required investments of billions of dollars and patience to wait years for the return. But the spun-off aircraft were produced at low cost by comparison with entirely new planes. |
