Bill Boyer Jr. is a 50% owner and former
CEO of
Hawaii's
Mokulele Airlines. In March 2009, he was replaced as the airline's CEO and was put in charge of expanding sales and marketing efforts after
Republic Airways became a 50% shareholder.[1] Boyer is a native of
Tacoma, Washington.
Background
Boyer, who dropped out of college, was an
entrepreneurial-minded
baggage handler at
Seattle based
Alaska Airlines when, in response to information posted about
in-flight entertainment challenges on the Alaska Airlines employee website, he conceived of a portable
hard-disk based
video on demand media player that he later named the "
digEplayer."[2][3]
On behalf of
Aircraft Protective Systems (APS), a
Washington corporation he founded earlier to commercialize other products he developed for the aircraft industry, he obtained $2.5 million initial financing from family and an
Angel investor to fully develop and market his conceived product, which became the first self-contained portable
video on demand (VOD)
in-flight Entertainment (IFE) device.[4][5] He contracted with San Diego-based e.Digital Corporation to develop and manufacture the device.[6]
Boyer was able to convince
20th Century Fox to provide first-run movies and other studio content for the player.[7][8] Boyer's then employer,
Alaska Airlines, became the first customer for the APS digEplayer.[9] Based upon the apparent success of the Alaska Airlines digEplayer implementation, APS was able to sell the digEplayer to additional airlines.[10][11]
In August 2003, Boyer signed an exclusive marketing and distribution agreement with
Springville, Utah-based aircraft parts distributor Wencor and two months later sold the company to Wencor, which renamed APS "
digEcor."[12][13]
In 2005, Boyer purchased Mokulele Airlines through newly formed Boyer Industries LLC, a Washington company.[14][15][16][17]
Recognition
Boyer's digEplayer received the "IFE Product of the Year" award at the March 2004 IPEC/LARA Inflight Online Awards Dinner.
Alaska Airlines received the "Airline IFE Service of the Year" based upon the implementation of the digEplayer.[18]