Midwest Airlines 'Evangelists' Wants to Anoint More 'Evangelists'

Art Suarez's one-man crusade to keep Midwest Airlines as the Milwaukee area's hometown airline would expand to become the centerpiece of a plan to promote Wisconsin as a place to live and work and at the same time "give the children of Wisconsin a seat the economic table."

Suarez has traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby the state's congressional delegation, printed signs and T-shirts with slogans such as "Wisconsin loves Midwest Airlines. No new owners needed" and organized cookie sales to help prevent AirTran Holdings Inc. from taking over the airline.

Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran has made a $13.25-per-share tender offer to Midwest's shareholders. The offer expires March 8.

On Sunday, near the Midwest Airlines ticket counter at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport, Suarez announced his new vision to raise $500,000 and to create "customer evangelists" for Midwest Airlines and the state of Wisconsin.

The money would come from private donations and economic development organizations like Milwaukee 7, a consortium of business and government leaders.

Suarez, who owns a local executive search firm, said his plan would consist of three parts:

* $200,000 to place ads in newspapers urging people to invest in Midwest Airlines and touting Wisconsin.

* $150,000 to create a network of expatriate Wisconsinites around the world to become "evangelists" for their home state.

* $150,000 to establish seven economic development "embassies" - one in each of seven metro-area counties - and pay people, including Suarez, to staff them.

A major emphasis of Suarez's plan is to urge schoolchildren and their parents to invest in Midwest Airlines.

News to one promoter

Suarez's vision was news Sunday to one leading promoter of the region's economic development efforts.

"I've been very committed to keeping Midwest Airlines here and under its current structure, but this proposal is totally brand new. I don't know if it has any potential out there," said Dean Amhaus, president of Spirit of Milwaukee.

Amhaus called keeping Midwest based in Milwaukee and promoting Wisconsin as "two totally different things."

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