Getting to Know Pete Loecke

Q. Your service extends back to Boeing days. You were here Day One. How has Spirit progressed since the Boeing days?

A. Yes, I started working here as a toolmaker in 1986, so my first 19 years were with Boeing. It’s hard to believe we are at 18 years as Spirit in June! We have come a long way as a company. The advancement of our team, our processes, and our global expansion are all significant. From tornados to pandemics, we have faced tremendous challenges together and always find a way to win. The Vyaire ventilator project is among the most inspirational and rewarding.

Q. What is the most important thing we should know about you?

A. I’m all in!

Q. What motivates you do come to work each day?

A. We get to build airplanes – what a cool thing to do for a living! Our 737s will work through 70,000 to 80,000 pressurization cycles while loaded with the most precious cargo in the world. Every composite ply, shear-tie, frame, stringer, skin, and fastener need to be correct. We have an important job. Our Defense products are critical to the protection of country and allies. Our Tooling and Facilities teams are critical in the ability for our entire team to be safe, create quality products, and deliver results. We have a great team with a vital responsibility to our customers and to each other. It’s hard not to speed on the way in to work!

Q. What book would you say has made the biggest impact on you?

A. “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by the late Dr. Seuss is an all-time favorite of mine. I have a new granddaughter, and she will have a regular dose of grandpa reading this brilliant piece of work to her. I dare anyone to read this book to their loved ones at any age while trying to keep a dry eye.

Q. Tell us something that may surprise people about you?

A. I grew up as the eldest son on a small dairy farm in Northeast Iowa. I have a huge and supportive family that knows how to work hard and play together.

Q. What do you do when you are not working?

A. I enjoy doing nearly anything outside. We moved to a country home several years ago, and it gives me the opportunity to wear my “work” duds and tackle my mini-farmer projects on a regular basis with my family.

Q. Talk about our quality journey and the basic principles of quality.

A. The basic principles of quality are do not create, do not pass and do not accept a defect. Think about it in order: If you create a defect, that creates an opportunity that could be expensive all the way to the customer. If you pass a defect or accept a defect…we can pass an expensive problem to our customer. Work it in that order. Do not create a defect and remember no one does anyone a favor by accepting or passing a defect down the line. We are in a role of continuously reinventing ourselves. Sometimes it might not seem that way if you are a mechanic building the same thing over and over again… (but) we need to challenge the status quo and raise the bar. That is the foundational piece of quality.