Brown County supervisors hailed their decision to hire Vantage Group to manage and operate Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport as an opportunity to improve visitors’ experiences, efficiency and profitability.
The Brown County Board on July 15 unanimously voted to contract with Vantage, an experienced airport and transportation management firm based in New York and Vancouver, to take over operation of the airport effective July 16.
The board with the same vote also in essence eliminated the top three airport management positions though the three employees – Director Marty Piette, Assistant Director Rachel Engeler and Marketing Director Susan Levitte – are expected to continue working for the airport through October to assist with the transition.
The county will continue to own the airport, remains responsible for approving its budget and will retain oversight over Vantage’s performance.
Some supervisors raised concerns about transparency when the proposal was publicized one day before the vote, but the supervisors who spoke all agreed the change of management was a good move that will make the Green Bay airport more competitive with Appleton International Airport and attractive to travelers and businesses.
“We have to compete with our southern neighbor and we’ve fallen behind,” said Supervisor Tom Lund, who called the agreement a “win.”
Supervisor Eric Vanden Heuvel said he’s a regular user of the county-owned airport, but that it had become “harder and harder to be proud of our airport in recent years.”
The county hopes Vantage over the five-year contract can implement strategies to boost passenger activity, add more nonstop flights, commercially develop more of the airport grounds and generally bolster the airport’s $265 million regional economic impact.
Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach said the change of management is about taking the airport to the “next level.”
“We have an opportunity to redefine and update our airport and we want to make sure that we have the right customer service, the right renovations taking place and Vantage Group really has the bandwidth, the expertise,” Streckenbach said.
Two Vantage senior leaders, Vice President of Global Operational Services Frank Scremin and Senior Director of Global Operational Excellence Nyika Allen, provided a 30-minute public presentation before the County Board meeting to review its qualifications, terms of the agreement, what services it will provide, what it won’t do and what responsibilities the county retains.
Vantage will focus on 4 key priorities of Green Bay airport operations
Allen identified four priorities Vantage will deliver under the agreement:
She noted Vantage has developed extensive relationships with a variety of airlines over its more than 30 years in business and that its mission is to deliver safe, operational airports.
Vantage Group already manages airports, terminals in Chicago, New York
Founded in 1994, Vantage Group has corporate offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, and New York City. It has developed and manages concession areas, terminals and whole airports in small and large cities across the United States and Canada. It provides a range of solutions to airports and transportation systems that include development, management, strategic advisory services, management, operations and financing solutions.
The company manages concessions areas in Chicago Midway International Airport. At John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, it manages and operates one terminal and developing a new terminal. It spruced up the dining and shopping options when Kansas City International Airport opened its new, single terminal in 2023.
But what interested Brown County was Vantage’s experience in smaller yet still competitive markets like Hamilton, Ontario, just outside of Toronto, and Nassau in the Bahamas.
“Green Bay is in a very competitive region,” Scremin said. “We believe we bring a great deal of experience to that kind of environment.”
Scremin said Hamilton faces competition from three other airports less than hours away while Nassau, in essence, competes for passengers and flights with much of the Caribbean.
How long is Vantage Group’s contract to manage the Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport?
Five years. Vantage and the county can mutually agree to extend the contract for another two, five-year terms.
Vantage Group will bring in 3 people to manage the Green Bay Airport
The contract calls for Vantage Group to provide personnel for three management jobs to be paid for by the county. Those three roles are:
Per the agreement, Vantage will provide a list of qualified candidates to the county’s review and approval. The company will consider Piette, Engeler and Levitte for those roles.
The rest of the airport staff will remain county employees.
What will Brown County pay Vantage Group to manage the airport?
The agreement includes set fees as well as incentive payments:
Vantage will provide monthly updates to the county’s Planning Development and Transportation Committee.
Management contract will be paid for via airport’s existing budget, not taxpayer dollars
The contract will be paid for out of the airport’s existing 2026 budget.
Brown County owns and operates Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport, but the airport is a self-funding enterprise fund that does not rely on taxpayer levy dollars. Instead, the airport generates revenue from a variety of fees, parking revenue, terminal space rentals and other sources.
Short public notice generates concern about lack of transparency
The 25 supervisors present all voted for the agreement, but supervisors Rachel Maes and Christopher Welch both lamented the issue appeared on the county agenda one day before the board voted on it.
Maes said that left little opportunity to inform residents or the public to ask questions, which she said did a “disservice” to a “correct, good move” for the county to make.
Contact business reporter Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X at @JeffBollier.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Brown County hopes new management group helps Green Bay airport take off
Reporting by Jeff Bollier, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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By Jeff Bollier, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
