New Boeing CEO buys $4.1M Seattle home amid factory worker strike
SEATTLE - The new head of Boeing recently closed on a $4.1 million house in Seattle, possibly in a move to address the company's hometown drama.
FOX 13 Seattle obtained a copy of the King County warranty deed for the property, made out to Boeing CEO Robert Kelly Ortberg and his wife, Valerie. According to Zillow, the 4180-square-foot home is located in Seattle's Broadmoor neighborhood, a gated community located just west of Madison Park and east of the Washington Park Arboretum.
The single family residence was built in 1928 and comes with four bedrooms, five bathrooms, three fireplaces and multiple terraces, all on a 9,217 square foot lot.
The deed was dated Tuesday, Sept. 10, and the home's final selling price after taxes was $4,212,580.
Ortberg's move to Seattle could possibly be in an effort to reduce the negative spotlight Boeing's been receiving in western Washington.
On Friday, tens of thousands of Boeing factory workers went on strike after union members overwhelmingly rejected a tentative contract offer, with 96% approving the work stoppage.
The labor action involves 33,000 machinists, most of them in Washington state. Boeing workers were seen picketing outside factories in Renton and Everett, days after Ortberg told them "no one wins" in a walkout.
"For Boeing, it is no secret that our business is in a difficult period, in part due to our own mistakes in the past," Ortberg said. "Working together, I know that we can get back on track, but a strike would put our shared recovery in jeopardy, further eroding trust with our customers and hurting our ability to determine our future together."
The CEO tried saving the deal, but ultimately, despite having unanimous backing from union negotiators, it was rejected.
Ortberg was in Renton back in early August, visiting the factory that makes the 737 Max.
He was named Boeing's new CEO at a troubling time for the company, coming off a $1.4 billion loss in the second quarter and former CEO David Calhoun's grilling from Congress.
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