Northwest Aerospace News April | May Issue No. 2 | Page 8

Stoddard International
BUILDS ITS BUSINESS FROM A BOEING FOUNDATION
By Dean Cameron
From composites manufacturing
to a wide variety of commercial aerospace clientele.
VP of Operations
Dave Ghosn
C
ompanies in the composites industry grow in an atmo-
sphere of complexity and often-shifting demands by clients,
as well as meeting the expectation of “helping the client to
make their delivery on time” under dynamic circumstances.
The Pacific Northwest is home to several of these industry
magicians, Stoddard International being one, known for its
top-notch wizardry.
President and CEO of Stoddard International, Bruce
Hamilton, shares their history. Stoddard began as Stod-
dard-Hamilton Aircraft in 1980 and was responsible for the
development of the Glasair Aircraft in 1980. That same year
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NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS
President | CEO
Bruce Hamilton
they participated in the EAA AirVenture (the world’s largest
experimental aircraft gathering) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In
1987 Boeing approached Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft to
solicit their composite manufacturing skills for an offload
program Boeing was undertaking. Stoddard-Hamilton
Aircraft became two separate companies in 1989, as Stoddard
International pursued the contract manufacturing business
with Boeing. For the next several years, Stoddard Interna-
tional manufactured composite parts, as well as “finishing”
Boeing-made panels with a process known as “Fill and Fare”
for the Boeing 747. Fill and fare involves spraying filler on a
surface and sanding until completely smooth.