Thu, Jan 29, 2004
Stonecipher Says Sale Isn't Imminent
Boeing Co. chief
executive Harry Stonecipher tried to reassure workers in Kansas
after rumors of an imminent sale of the company's Wichita facility
surfaced last week. Boeing's top executive, however, refuses to
commit to owning the Wichita facility permanently.
In conversations with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and four members of
the Kansas congressional delegation, he didn't say a sale of the
Boeing Wichita facility would never happen.
"You never rest easy," Sebelius said after speaking with
Stonecipher.
Stonecipher arrived in Wichita on Tuesday night after two
separate conference calls with Kansas political leaders earlier in
the day. The calls were hastily arranged after a report in the
Seattle Times on Sunday described a Boeing planning document that
explores a sale of its Wichita plant.
"He assured me in no uncertain terms he has absolutely no
intention of doing anything with the plant in Wichita except making
sure that the business is sent here as promised," Sebelius said
after a 20-minute telephone call with Stonecipher.
But Stonecipher also
said the company continues to review its assets and wouldn't commit
to permanent Wichita ownership. The possibility of a Boeing sale is
"going to hang over us for some time," said Rep. Todd Tiahrt,
R-Goddard.
Tiahrt participated in a 20-minute call from Stonecipher with
Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback and Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays.
The call was taken in Tiahrt's Washington office. The visit was
planned weeks ago, but the context of it changed dramatically after
the Times report.
Tiahart said Stonecipher told lawmakers that even if a sale
happened, it would only affect commercial operations; the company's
military operations in Wichita, which employ about 30 percent of
the plant, would remain part of Boeing. But Stonecipher would not
make any other commitments to Boeing Wichita's long-range future
other than to stress that the plant will always be important to
Boeing in some capacity.
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