The Corporate Storyteller

A special event at Seattle's Museum of Flight recently honored icons of The Boeing Company's history, who shared stories about their adventures in building what for many years was the anchor business for the city.

Bill Boeing, Jr., talked about the company's famous Red Barn, the original building where Boeing manufactured planes. Credited with saving, moving and restoring the barn, Bill Jr. recalled that the Museum of Flight bought the barn "for $10 and other valuable considerations" and has been "spending on it ever since," as reported by Patti Payne in her column for the Puget Sound Business Journal.

The barn now resides at Boeing Field after serving as a, uh, "wing" of the Museum of Flight for years. In similar fashion, Nike displays the original waffle iron that inspired Bill Bowerman to design the iconic waffle-soled running shoes. What items symbolize your company's culture? How can you mine the opportunities they offer to breathe life into a rich history that will inspire employees and customers alike?