Take away- biz leaders sent southwest a packet of how much their companies spent with SW in what I assume was to get SW to no longer back the process?
“Two St. Louis executives skeptical of the Lambert airport privatization process met with a top Southwest Airlines leader days before Mayor Lyda Krewson ended it, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Andy Taylor, executive chairman of privately held rental car giant Enterprise Holdings, and David Kemper, executive chairman of Commerce Bancshares, traveled to Dallas for the Dec. 16 meeting with Southwest President Tom Nealon, the people said.
Southwest, the largest carrier at Lambert, is based in Dallas. It and other Lambert airlines agreed to a preliminary framework for privatization before the city, in October, issued a request for qualifications to firms interested in operating Lambert. Southwest would have an outsized say in whether Lambert is operated by a private company because of Federal Aviation Administration rules giving airlines veto power over any deal.
Kemper, in a statement, said the Dec. 16 meeting "was a continuation of a series of meetings the business community has had with Southwest Airlines over the last several years on how the business community can work with major stakeholders to improve air service at Lambert."
The Business Journal reported on Monday that Taylor and Kemper, plus Ameren CEO Warner Baxter, raised concerns with Krewson prior to her ending the privatization effort on Dec. 20. Civic Progress and the Regional Business Council, organizations made up of area CEOs, also said they raised concerns with the city and offered to pay for a study of alternatives to privatizing Lambert, which they said must still be improved. Baxter and Kemper are Civic Progress members.
But the new information makes clear that St. Louis' corporate community had also opened a dialogue with Southwest.
On Nov. 26, Regional Business Council Executive Director Kathy Osborn sent a note about Lambert privatization to her organization's members. In it, she said the topic was "of key interest to the St. Louis business community," and that "Southwest Airlines has a strong voice in this process and their importance to the future health of St. Louis Lambert International Airport is critical."
"A few of the region's key business leaders are in dialogue with Southwest regarding the proposed privatization," Osborn wrote.
"Therefore," she added, "we have a special request — we would like to ask you to provide us with your company's total annual spending with Southwest Airlines."
Osborn wrote that the information, which was due to her by Dec. 6, "will help the business community demonstrate to Southwest how important we are to the process."
Melissa Lackey, spokeswoman for the RBC and Civic Progress, declined to comment.
A Southwest Airlines spokesman had no immediate comment.
Some of the companies hoping to lease Lambert and the city's privatization advisers had advocated changes to the airport's rental car facilities. Enterprise is a tenant.
An Enterprise Holdings spokeswoman, Sara Miller, said, "I would not have comment on any specific meetings."
She added,
"However, I would reinforce what Andy previously said. His focus has always been on advocating for the long-term success of the St. Louis region, which includes ensuring we have a thriving airport. He, like many others, had expressed his desire to see an enhanced process to evaluate all potential opportunities for the airport, including privatization, before any final decision was made. He looks forward to working with the Mayor and other leaders to determine the best path forward."
A spokesman for Krewson emphasized that the decision to end the privatization process was hers alone, and that local executives are free to communicate with Lambert's airlines and other stakeholders. She also previously cited a lack of buy-in from the business community and city residents, and some continued skepticism of privatization from Lambert's airlines, as reasons for ending the privatization effort.
“Two St. Louis executives skeptical of the Lambert airport privatization process met with a top Southwest Airlines leader days before Mayor Lyda Krewson ended it, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Andy Taylor, executive chairman of privately held rental car giant Enterprise Holdings, and David Kemper, executive chairman of Commerce Bancshares, traveled to Dallas for the Dec. 16 meeting with Southwest President Tom Nealon, the people said.
Southwest, the largest carrier at Lambert, is based in Dallas. It and other Lambert airlines agreed to a preliminary framework for privatization before the city, in October, issued a request for qualifications to firms interested in operating Lambert. Southwest would have an outsized say in whether Lambert is operated by a private company because of Federal Aviation Administration rules giving airlines veto power over any deal.
Kemper, in a statement, said the Dec. 16 meeting "was a continuation of a series of meetings the business community has had with Southwest Airlines over the last several years on how the business community can work with major stakeholders to improve air service at Lambert."
The Business Journal reported on Monday that Taylor and Kemper, plus Ameren CEO Warner Baxter, raised concerns with Krewson prior to her ending the privatization effort on Dec. 20. Civic Progress and the Regional Business Council, organizations made up of area CEOs, also said they raised concerns with the city and offered to pay for a study of alternatives to privatizing Lambert, which they said must still be improved. Baxter and Kemper are Civic Progress members.
But the new information makes clear that St. Louis' corporate community had also opened a dialogue with Southwest.
On Nov. 26, Regional Business Council Executive Director Kathy Osborn sent a note about Lambert privatization to her organization's members. In it, she said the topic was "of key interest to the St. Louis business community," and that "Southwest Airlines has a strong voice in this process and their importance to the future health of St. Louis Lambert International Airport is critical."
"A few of the region's key business leaders are in dialogue with Southwest regarding the proposed privatization," Osborn wrote.
"Therefore," she added, "we have a special request — we would like to ask you to provide us with your company's total annual spending with Southwest Airlines."
Osborn wrote that the information, which was due to her by Dec. 6, "will help the business community demonstrate to Southwest how important we are to the process."
Melissa Lackey, spokeswoman for the RBC and Civic Progress, declined to comment.
A Southwest Airlines spokesman had no immediate comment.
Some of the companies hoping to lease Lambert and the city's privatization advisers had advocated changes to the airport's rental car facilities. Enterprise is a tenant.
An Enterprise Holdings spokeswoman, Sara Miller, said, "I would not have comment on any specific meetings."
She added,
"However, I would reinforce what Andy previously said. His focus has always been on advocating for the long-term success of the St. Louis region, which includes ensuring we have a thriving airport. He, like many others, had expressed his desire to see an enhanced process to evaluate all potential opportunities for the airport, including privatization, before any final decision was made. He looks forward to working with the Mayor and other leaders to determine the best path forward."
A spokesman for Krewson emphasized that the decision to end the privatization process was hers alone, and that local executives are free to communicate with Lambert's airlines and other stakeholders. She also previously cited a lack of buy-in from the business community and city residents, and some continued skepticism of privatization from Lambert's airlines, as reasons for ending the privatization effort.
