The Milwaukee Post

14 • Milwaukee County Post • January 23, 2015 BUSINESS Frontier to lay off 138 here MILWAUKEE — Frontier Airlines will lay off 138 employees from its Milwaukee operations starting in March. The compa- ny recently notified the state Department of Workforce Development of the deci- sion, which is required by law. The positions are in the company's reservation department and the entire unit is expected to eliminated eventually, according to a letter from Vice President for Human Resources and Labor relations Jacalyn Peter to the DWD. The decision will impact reservation agents, workforce analysts, specialty trav- el and travel desk agents and supervisors. A Frontier Airlines business partner will take over reservations work May 31, Peter said. "While we know this is a difficult time for our employees, we have selected a com- pany that will provide our employees with preferential hiring consideration," she wrote. www.flyfrontier.com Area hospital offering programs BROWN DEER — Rogers Memorial Hospital-Brown Deer is taking an addi- tional step toward serving the need of patients with mental illness and addiction by offering new programs. New partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient programs opened mid-December at Rogers' specialized out- patient facility at 4555 W. Schroeder Drive in Brown Deer. These new services include: an adoles- cent dual diagnosis partial program, ado- lescent dual intensive outpatient pro- gram, adult women's mental health par- tial program, adult dual diagnosis partial program, and adult post traumatic stress disorder partial program. The dual diagnosis programs provide care for patients facing both addiction and mental health issues. www.rogershospital.org Southwest Airlines to stock Leine's MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin-produced Leinenkugel's will now be served high up in the sky aboard Southwest Airlines. Southwest will stock Leinenkugel's sea- sonal craft beers and Dos Equis Lager Especial for $5 or redeemable with a valid Southwest Business Select or Rapid Rewards drink coupon per beer. In addition, Southwest Airlines is also transitioning to honey roasted peanuts that customers can have throughout 2015. Leinenkugel's will be the first beer Southwest offers on a rotating seasonal basis. Each season, the airline will replace its offerings with the current sea- sonal beer from the Chippewa Falls brew- ery. Starting the rotation will be Leinie's Snowdrift Vanilla Porter, followed by Summer Shandy as war m weather approaches and switching to Oktoberfest in the fall. www.Southwest.com https://leinie.com Adelman Travel acquires company MILWAUKEE — Adelman Travel, a lead- ing corporate travel management company, is taking ownership of Plaza Travel, Inc., a Dallas, Texas-based travel agency. Plaza Travel, a privately held company, has sales of more than $20 million. The company was founded by Mark McCool in 1980 and has grown organically and through mergers and acquisitions. The merger with Adelman Travel comple- ments its distinguished service philosophy and will allow Plaza Travel to introduce new automation tools and additional resources to its clients. Plaza Travel was represented in this trans- action by Alpharetta, Georgia-based Innovative Travel Acquisitions, Inc. www.adelmantravel.com Dealership wants to expand WEST ALLIS — International Autos hopes to expand its car dealership in West Allis on land it recently purchased and to add two brands to the site, Alfa Romeo and Maserati. The business is seeking a special use per- mit from West Allis for an auto dealership dedicated to Maserati and Alfa Romeo at 10221 W. Arthur Ave. Steven Schaer, manager of planning and zoning division for West Allis, said International Autos essentially wants to expand its business on the site. He said it already has added the Audi line. A public hearing on the request will be held 7 p.m. Feb. 3 at West Allis City Hall, 7525 W. Greenfield Ave. www.iaautogroup.com Business briefs Milwaukee, Waukesha counties strengthen partnership By DAVE FIDLIN Special to The Post MILWAUKEE — On Sunday, the number of mass transit lines linking commuters to Milwaukee County destinations and sur- rounding suburbs increased as part of a multicounty effort announced last week. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas held a news conference near the Waukesha County-Milwaukee County border at North 122nd Street and West Bluemound Road, touting their enhanced partner- ship. The multi-jurisdictional effort is not unprecedented. The Milwaukee County Transit System already has a line that runs to Brookfield Square and dips into sections of Menomonee Falls. But the routes and partner- ships are being enhanced with more expeditious service. "This is about getting things done," Abele said. "It's a great start. It means a whole lot more transit." An MCTS line, Route 61, had been operating between 35th Street and Capitol Drive, as well as Appleton Avenue to County Line Road in Waukesha County. The stops on Route 61 are increas- ing within Menomonee Falls, and the line will extend even further into Washington County, at the Germantown Industrial Park for weekday-only service. Two popular color-coded MCTS lines are also in the ramped-up effort, each with an express serv- ice aimed at transporting passen- gers to and from destinations more efficiently. MCTS' GoldLine will run between the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus and Brookfield Square mall. The system's PurpleLine, meanwhile, will offer more efficient service to Milwaukee commuters between Green Bay and Hampton avenues, as well as 27th Street and Sycamore Avenue. Abele and Vrakas said most of the changes are being funded through federal grant dollars, totaling $17 million. While both county leaders stat- ed passenger convenience was behind the effort, they also assert- ed the changes are aimed at spurring the region's economy. Vrakas pointed out 29 percent of the state's economy is within Milwaukee and Waukesha coun- ties. "The scale is large," Abele added. "This will have a huge impact on economic develop- ment." Several partnering organiza- tions — most notably, UWM — are lauding the strengthened relation- ship. At Friday's news conference, Robin Van Harpen, UWM vice chancellor of finance and admin- istrative affairs, said she envi- sioned mass transit ridership increasing. She pointed to the 3,100 stu- dents who currently have a school-issued UPASS card to ride MCTS' bus lines. "We already know our students appreciate the bus because of the UPASS," Van Harpen said. "It also decreases the parking pressure on campus." Vrakas said mass transit is just one of several ways he and other Waukesha County officials plan to work cooperatively outside their own jurisdiction. Beginning this year, Waukesha County has struck a deal with the city of Milwaukee to pool resources and cut costs on recy- cling. Also, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties are working cooperatively on a new digital radio system for public safety responders. "The future of this area is on these two counties working together," Vrakas said. www.ridemcts.com Several MCTS routes expanding beyond Milwaukee County Photo by Charles Auer/Conley News Service Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas and Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele speak during a press conference announcing the start of new bus routes.

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