Shrontz Appointed President of Boeing

The probable lines of management succession at Boeing Co. were set down Monday when the firm named as president Frank Shrontz, 53, who had been president of the Boeing Commercial Airplane Co.

The Seattle-based aerospace firm named former President Malcolm T. Stamper to the new position of vice chairman. Stamper, 59, who has been president since 1972, will be responsible for external relations, Boeing said. Shrontz will control Boeing’s seven operating companies, putting him in direct line of succession to Boeing’s current chief executive, Chairman T.A. Wilson. Wilson, 64, who has served as Boeing chief executive since 1969 and its chairman since 1972, is coming close to the company’s retirement age of 65. He has not, however, announced his retirement plans and he may choose to stay on, a Boeing spokesman said.

In making the announcement, Wilson described the appointments as “one of a series of steps to achieve an orderly transition of corporate and operating company managements.”

Shrontz is succeeded by Dean D. Thornton, 56, who has been a senior vice president.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

In an effort to streamline operations and reduce costs, Barco of California has restructured top management and laid off 25 workers at its Gardena headquarters.

Barco, a leading maker of uniforms for nurses and the fast-food industry, said President Michael K. Donner will take over sales, design and marketing following the departure of Marvin Tiano, vice president-marketing and sales. Brian Kinahan, chief operating officer, will take over manufacturing until a replacement for Sam Oster, formerly vice president-manufacturing, is found. The company is also combining the customer service and credit departments under one office headed by Larry Schiern.

Kinahan said the company has been hit with increasing costs at the same time uniform sales have been softening. To trim manufacturing costs, the company has shut down plants in downtown Los Angeles and Taft, Calif., and is having an increasing amount of garment assembly done in Mexico.