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.Mokulele gets cash, new CEO , by David Segal, Honolulu Star Bulletin, March 21, 2009 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 who, in response to information posted about in-flight entertainment challenges on the Alaska Airlines employee website, conceived of a portable hard-disk based video on demand media player that he later named the "digEplayer."'Sky's the limit for a baggage handler's in-flight entertainment system" Seattle PI, September 10, 2003"DigEplayer Portable VOD Big Hit With Alaska Air Passengers" – AIRFAX.com, February 2004 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."In the Money – APS" - Seattle PI, Venture Capital Notebook, 9/8/2000 He contracted with San Diego–based to develop and manufacture the device.
Boyer was able to convince 20th Century Fox to provide first-run movies and other studio content for the player.APS and DivXNetworks Partner to Bring Portable Video-on-Demand to Airline Industry Boyer's then employer, Alaska Airlines, became the first customer for the APS digEplayer."Alaska To Become First Carrier to Offer APS DigEPlayer Portable Video On Demand Entertainment System" - Alaska Airlines Press Release, 9/9/2003 Based upon the apparent success of the Alaska Airlines digEplayer implementation, APS was able to sell the digEplayer to additional airlines."HAWAIIAN AIRLINES GETS PERSONAL WITH DIGEPLAYER IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT" - Hawaiian Airlines press release, July 13, 2004
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."APS SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING ALLIANCE WITH WENCOR - Wencor Press Release, August 20, 2004"Five entrepreneurs with solid records back in ring" - Seattle PI, December 31, 2004
In 2005, Boyer purchased Mokulele Airlines through newly formed Boyer Industries LLC, a Washington company.Laid-off worker strikes isle airline deal - Star Bulletin, 9/27/2006"Mokulele's chief exec invented his way to the top" - Pacific Business News, June 1, 2007"The Biz Buzz - Update on Tacoma's airline mogul" - The News Tribune, April 30, 2007Television interview with Mokulele Air Owner Bill Boyer, 1/24/2008
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.IPEC: Inflight Online Awards Dinner
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