Jetrader - Winter 2016 - 12

Q&A

Joe Ozimek
Former Managing Director,
Aircraft Programs & Valuations, Boeing

By Cody Smith
Joe Ozimek recently retired after a fruitful career in aviation. He started his career at Boeing
in 1973 as an engineer in aerodynamics and moved up the ranks, originally participating in
the development of 747 derivatives and holding such positions as chief engineer of marketing
management for the 777 program, commercial airplanes' director of product marketing, vice
president of product marketing for the 737 MAX program and more. Joe also served as ISTAT
president from 2011 to 2013 and on the ISTAT board of directors for many years. In this
exclusive interview with Jetrader, we asked him about his involvement in the 747 program,
what it was like sharing an office with Joe Sutter, who led the development of the 747, and
what's next for him.
Jetrader: What was it like participating
in the development of the 747?
Joe Ozimek: I arrived at Boeing at the
end of the roll-out of the original 747.
The original 747 rolled out in 1969 and
was certified and started flying in 1970. I
arrived in 1973, so I participated in most
of the derivatives of the 747. The 747-100
was already developed, so I worked on the
747-200, which had derivatives of engines
that I watched over. I really participated
in the middle development of the airplane.
When I got to Boeing, there had been 100
to 120 airplanes delivered, and I was on the
747 program through 700 to 800 of those
airplane deliveries.
JT: You recently shared an office with
Joe Sutter. What was it like working with
Joe, and how do you view the legacy of
the 747 in wake of his passing?
JO: I knew Joe for well over 20 years.
I started doing briefings with him when I
was working on the 777 program. My job
was to debrief him on how the program
was going, but our meetings never went
that way. I'd go into in his office and he
would say, "Let me tell you what's on my
mind and we'll get to the briefing." In our
allotted time, he'd tell me everything that

was on his mind and I wouldn't get to talk,
so it was a one-way conversation for a long
time, but I always paid attention to what
he had to say. I started sharing an office
with him five years ago, and he would come
in occasionally; he wasn't there every day.
He'd come in three to four times a month.
It was interesting because a lot of the
young people from the program would be
in the office and would get nervous about
seeing him, but at the end of the day each
person would walk out of the office feeling like the most important person in the
Boeing company. In that way he was very
accommodating to all the young people in
the company. When important people on
the fifth floor wanted to know something
(we were on the fourth floor), they would
go down to the fourth floor and ask him.
They'd never call him to come up to the
fifth floor. He was revered at Boeing and
I'm sure the company is going to miss him.
JT: You were once president of ISTAT and
have witnessed its growth over the years.
What are the biggest differences you see
in ISTAT today, and how do you think ISTAT
impacts the aviation industry as a whole?
JO: There's a big difference in size.
When I first started participating in

12 The official publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading

ISTAT I think there were maybe 1,500
people in it. The membership is no longer measured in hundreds, but in thousands. Due to its increased size, ISTAT
provides more for members now than it
ever has. It's one of the best organizations for interaction in this industry that
you can find. The difference between now
and then is that there are so many more
services now.
For example, the Chalets at the air
shows are a huge new benefit. Air shows
are incredibly expensive. Now ISTAT's
own events fulfill some of the purpose of
going to an air show, allowing members
to have conversations with people they'd
like to do business with through a much
more inexpensive and efficient model.
The beauty of today's ISTAT is that the
dues have remained the same. The money
also goes directly back into the association and into programs like the ISTAT
Foundation, and none of the money is for
profit at all.
JT: You recently retired after an extensive
career. Do you have plans to continue
participating in the aviation industry?
What's next?
JO: I've only been retired for a few months
now, so a lot of it so far is going through the
retirement process. I get up every morning
and I feel like I need to put on a tie and go
to work, but then I don't. At some point it
seems like it'll end and I'll have to get in my
car and go to work, and a lot of friends in
the aviation industry who retired have told
me about similar feelings. I'm decompressing
from my time at Boeing and overall getting
used to being retired.

Jetrader - Winter 2016

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