Fabric of the future Boeing’s partnership with Turkey helps local communities thrive By Bill Seil Only months after Boeing openedits first office in Ankara, Turkey, inAugust 1999, the country was rocked by a devastating earthquake. In cooperation with Turkish Airlines, Boeing brought in a medical team with enough sup- plies to treat 10,000 people. Boeing’s support also included relief materials, dialysis machines and financial aid. Indeed, the company’s vigorous earthquake response effort set the theme for Boeing’s corporate citizenship in Turkey. From support- ing schools to sponsoring archeological digs, Boeing today is part of the warp and weave of Turkish society, helping communities and building important relationships in a country where it has a strong presence. “After our initial relief response to the 1999 earthquake, we wanted to see what else we could do to help,” said Greg Pepin, who had joined Boeing in 1999 and was the new coun- try director for Turkey at the time of the quake. “We found out about a school—Inkilap Primary School—that had been badly damaged by the earthquake. So we built an annex, which included computer and science labs.” Boeing went on to locate funds to finance PhOTOS: (Top) A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of a fully other school projects in the area, including more equipped computer lab at Sahakyan-Nunyan Armenian Primary School in Istanbul computer and science labs and library facilities. last November. GTC COMMuNICATIONS CONSulTANCy (Above left) A Turkish Peace Eagle Airborne In 2002, when Boeing launched its formal BOEING GRAPhIC: (Above right) A Next-GenerationEarly Warning and Control aircraft. 737-800 (foreground) and a Next-Generation 737-900ER (Extended Range) in Turkish international corporate citizenship program, Airlines livery. BOEING Boeing Turkey took a broader view and identi- fied a range of projects to address some of the country’s most important needs. Primary education was given the greatest emphasis, but 42 BOEING FRONTIERS / OCTOBER 2012
Frontiers October 2012 Issue
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