FIRLAND FOUNDATION & WORKSHOP IS AN AEROSPACE MANUFACTURER WITH A RICH HISTORY AND BACKGROUND, ROOTED IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IN SHORELINE, WASHINGTON.
Bertha Marie Boeing, the wife of William Boeing Sr., had a vision for a community manufacturing partnership, and Firland was created 70 years ago to provide tuberculosis( TB) patients in a sanatorium with the opportunity to manufacture aerospace parts. Isolated at the sanatorium due to the contagious nature of TB, the patients were still able to work, and Mrs. Boeing thought, that while in recovery, they could still be an asset to society.
The precision machine shop of today employs 35 people, many of whom face barriers to employment. Their mission is“ Manufacturing Excellence with a Mission Since 1955.”
While many may think of TB as a disease from their grandparents’ era, it is still a significant threat as a painful lung-based bacterial infection that can cause death if left untreated. In fact, according to the World Health Organization( WHO), 8.2 million people were affected by the disease in 2023. In 2024, the U. S. reported over 10,000 cases, including a large outbreak in Kansas. TB saw a resurgence in the U. S. after the COVID-19 pandemic.
OCTOBER | NOVEMBER 2025 ISSUE NO. 47 23