BY DAN RALEY As Boeing approaches the start of its second century in July 2016, Frontiers visits with some of the men and women who have helped make Boeing a global leader in aerospace. rank Shrontz initially planned to skip college. He was content to stay home and work in the family’s sporting goods store in Boise, Idaho. However, his father convinced him otherwise—that he needed to see what the rest of the world had to offer, that there was more to it than bicycle sales and lawnmower repairs. Shrontz was found to have great business acumen after receiving an education as credentialed and comprehensive as any: He earned a law degree from the University of Idaho and a master’s degree from the Harvard Business School. Later, he was a Sloan Fellow at the Stanford Graduate School of Business Administration. That this all could have gone unrealized by the future chairman and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company was due in part to the Idaho native’s modest nature. Shrontz was grateful for getting a nudge in the right direction. “I can’t say I had grand plans as a kid to head up an aerospace company, but it developed and I’m glad it did,” he said. Shrontz became the sixth Boeing CEO in 1986 and served in that capacity for a decade. Mike Lombardi, Boeing senior historian and archivist, said Shrontz provided strong business discipline as the company expanded globally. He oversaw the launch of the 777, encouraged a greater emphasis on production quality and 46 | BOEING FRONTIERS Leading edge Among his many accomplishments, Frank Shrontz oversaw launch of the 777 program efficiency, and was largely responsible for Boeing’s first ranking among the top 10 of the Fortune 500’s most admired companies. As Boeing prepares to celebrate its centennial, Shrontz is among the many men and women who have made milestone contributions to Boeing or its heritage companies. Lombardi said Shrontz is considered one of Boeing’s most respected and influential leaders. “He completely redid the business of Boeing and redid the culture in several ways—in particular, he led great change,” Lombardi said. “He was a man of tremendous ethics and flawless character, and it had a big impact on our airline and government customers. He made the company a leader with a bigger focus on quality. It’s still reflected in every airplane we build today.” Following a stint in the U.S. Army as an artillery officer, Shrontz received his Harvard MBA and joined Boeing in 1958. He chose the airplane-maker over Eli Lilly & Co., an Indianapolisbased pharmaceutical firm that employed him as a summer intern. Shrontz said he was intrigued by the aerospace business and wanted to return to the northwest U.S. He assisted in Boeing contract negotiations. And he caught the attention of commercial airplanes leader Bruce Connelly and then–Boeing chairman and CEO T. Wilson, who mentored and promoted Shrontz. Wilson nominated Shrontz for a Pentagon job, which turned into a four-year congressional appointment as assistant secretary for the U.S. Air Force and assistant secretary of defense. Returning to Boeing in January 1977, as corporate vice president of Contract Administration and Planning, Shrontz subsequently held a series of top leadership positions. From September 1978 until May 1982, he was vice president and general manager of the division for 707, 727 and 737 jetliners, and in April 1984 he became president of the commercial airplanes organization. Less than a year later, in February, he was named president of The Boeing Company, and served as chairman and chief executive officer from April 1986 until April 1996. Shrontz preferred a leadership style different from his more autonomous Boeing predecessors, surrounding himself with a management staff that he roundly encouraged to make its own decisions, according to Lombardi. He was known for stressing an TR A I LBL A ZERS F
Frontiers May 2016 Issue
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