AirTran Holdings Inc. chief executive officer Joseph Leonard fired the latest volley in the corporate chess match with Midwest Air Group Inc. Monday with a new letter to Midwest's board of directors, telling them that his company will make a "firm commitment" to growth in Milwaukee.

With his letter, Leonard attached a letter addressed to him from Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, who, in essence, testifies to AirTran's commitment to growth in that city. Franklin's letter was dated April 2.

"The Atlanta consumer has received numerous benefits from Air Tran Airways, including the tremendous savings created by offering low fares every day. By offering low fares, AirTran Airways has stimulated traffic at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airrport," Franklin wrote. "While it is the busiest airport in the world, we are fortunate to have two airlines with large hubs at the airport … Finally we appreciate AirTran Airways' presence in the community. Your community support has been inspiring. Whether it is supporting the homeless, the hungry, the poor, the less fortunate, the under-educated, AirTran Airways shows its compassion through its deeds."

A spokeswoman for Franklin could not be reached this morning.

AirTran is continuing its hostile takeover of Midwest, and its latest, "final offer" is $15 per share.

In his latest eight-page, detailed letter to the Midwest board, Leonard stated, "We want to take this opportunity to make clear to you and to the communities and customers served by Midwest Airlines AirTran's firm commitment to offer the flight schedules and fare levels that we have discussed publicly which in turn will create the numbers of jobs that we have identified and the added value of our operations to suppliers and vendors that support your existing and our proposed expanded operations."

Leonard said AirTran is committed to growing Milwaukee to 215 daily departures by 2009, a 34-percent increase over Midwest's current 70 daily departures.

Leonard also said AirTran plans to create more than 1,100 new jobs with career advancement opportunities for current employees as a result of the increased size of the combined companies.

"We plan to expand the Milwaukee training facilities, call center and aircraft maintenance operations and add a new marketing services center. We are committed to maintaining jobs for all current Midwest employees except officers and some headquarters positions; our proposal by any measure will result in a net increase in jobs," Leonard said in the letter, which also was filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission.

"With the commitment of at least 22 additional aircraft dedicated to the Milwaukee hub above and beyond the aircraft used to replace Midwest's fleet of aging MD80s, we estimate, based on the standard number of employees associated with each aircraft, that we will create no less than 264 pilot jobs, 396 flight attendant positions, 66 mechanic jobs, 315 airport service personnel positions, 50 call center agent jobs and 25 management positions. We estimate that this job growth will add over $30 million a year in new payroll with over $1.8 million annually in new payroll taxes. Our aircraft delivery schedule supports the growth of the Milwaukee hub and provides the means to achieve this objective," Leonard said.

To read the complete letters by Leonard and Franklin, visit http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/948845/000119312507077188/dex99a39.htm.

Racine-based Modine Manufacturing Co. announced today it has been awarded about $100 million in business to provide Euro-5 exhaust gas recirculation coolers for engines for the Hyundai Motor Co. of Seoul, South Korea.
The parts will be installed in new Hyundai passenger cars, starting with 2009 models. The programs are expected to extend to 2014.
"This is a continuation of our long relationship with Hyundai. When we purchased WiniaMando's ACC division in 2004, Hyundai became one of Modine's largest customers. We are happy to continue our strong relationship with Hyundai," said Jerry Retallick, general manager of Modine Asia.
Modine will assemble its products for Hyundai at its Asan City, South Korea, facility and will ship the products to Hyundai plants in South Korea and Europe.
"Modine recently reorganized its businesses into global product platforms bringing the best solutions to our customers. This business from Hyundai represents a great first win under our new global organizational structure," said Tom Burke, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Modine.

Milwaukee County Supervisor Ryan McCue has announced he will resign
his position to become the mayor of Cudahy.
McCue's last county board meeting will be on Thursday, May 17. His resignation will take effect on the following day.
"I've thoroughly enjoyed and it's been an honor serving the residents of the Eighth District, and I thank them for the opportunity. I also look forward to serving the residents of the City of Cudahy as their new mayor," McCue said.
McCue serves as second vice-chairman of the board and vice-chairman
of the county's Finance and Audit Committee.
He was first elected to the Milwaukee County Board during a special election in June 2002. He was re-elected in April 2004. He is credited with creating the Runway Dog Exercise Area, a 36-acre fenced-in parcel of land for dogs and their owners to enjoy in Oak Creek.
McCue won the April 3 election in Cudahy.

Residents of the Fox River Valley will have a new option for getting to and from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport with the start of Airport Connection's Fox Valley Shuttle, which will begin Monday, April 16.
Having more access to Mitchell Airport will give area travelers a greater choice of airlines and flight schedules than those available at smaller regional airports.
Airport Connection will operate the Fox Valley Shuttle with stops in Appleton, Neenah, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac and Lomira. The company will provide 10 round trips each day.
Brian Dunn, the owner of Airport Connection, said there has long been a demand for another way to get from the valley to Mitchell International.
"Speaking to travel agents from the region, at least half the flights they book for clients are in or out of Mitchell Airport. Travelers booking flights themselves are pretty likely to be flying through Milwaukee as well," Dunn said. "Now people can get a ride to Mitchell with no fuss and for a reasonable price."
The company has been operating a shuttle service between Sheboygan and Mitchell International since 1983.
Dunn started the business in Sheboygan as Wisconsin Limousine Services. The company started with two vans making a few trips each day. The business grew and a Milwaukee office was opened in 1989. Today, Airport Connection is the largest shared-ride shuttle provider at General Mitchell Airport and transports more than 200,000 passengers each year, covering an area from Door County to northern Illinois and from Lake Michigan to Madison.
For more information or to book a reservation, visit www.foxvalleyshuttle.com.

The School of Continuing Education at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee has received a significant grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation to establish an Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning in Milwaukee.
The grant will build on the current partnership between the UWM School of Continuing Education and the Guild for Lifelong Learning, a university-supported, volunteer-run group with a long history of high quality educational activities. Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes are found on the campuses of 112 colleges and universities from Maine to Hawaii.
The School of Continuing Education will receive $100,000 per year for two to four years, followed by a $1 million endowment. The School of Continuing Education can apply for additional funds from the Osher Foundation re-entry initiative in six to eight months.
The initiative is targeted at 25- to 50-year-old returning students and would support School of Continuing Education initiatives, including the Career Transition Center.
Cathie Sanders, who initiated and led the grant application process, will continue to take a leadership role. Mary Mulroy, who is now retired, provided leadership in the grant writing and helped conceptualize the proposal. Kim Beck, unit leader of the Arts, Humanities, and Science unit, also provided support for the proposal.
"In addition to securing more desirable space for guild social, administrative and education activities, the Osher grant will allow us to expand access to the guild geographically, build a more ethnically diverse membership; offer programming tailored to 'younger' older adults; and increase learning and service activities," Sanders said.
Also planned is a marketing campaign and an easy-to-use Web site designed to attract new membership, support internal communication, and facilitate research and evaluation.

North Shore Bank today announced that John Mccaffrey has joined the bank as vice president for small business markets. Mccaffrey previously worked as a district sales manager at Associated Bank.
Mccaffrey, a Kenosha resident, brings nearly 12 years of experience in the financial industry to his new position.
In his new role, Mccaffrey will have direct responsibility for all aspects of the bank's small business line including strategy, development and execution of business plans, products and services, sales management and productivity. He will work to increase retention and growth of North Shore Bank's small business customers.
"He brings more than a decade of experience in the banking industry, which will be a great asset and resource for our customers," said Gary Messing, vice president of branch administration for Brookfield-based North Shore Bank. 

The discovery of asbestos will delay the demolition of the old Ramada Inn hotel in Janesville. Read more in SBT's daily roundup of headlines from newspapers around the state at www.biztimes.com.

Wisconsin companies will be wise to do some research on the Chinese business mindset, according to Karl Robe, author of today's Milwaukee Biz Blog.

The BizTimes Stock Index lost .09 points to close at 178.96 Monday, but local stocks bucked the losing trend and the broader market by posting gains in early morning trading today. The largest local gainers this morning were Bucyrus International Inc. (up $1.18 to $55.08) and Joy Global Inc. (up 85 cents to $45.60). The largest local decliners this morning were Johnson Controls Inc. (down 67 cents to $96.63) and Actuant Corp. (down 50 cents to $50.85). The BizTimes Stock Index was created by Small Business Times and is monitored by North Shore Bank. The index, which measures the stock values of publicly held companies based in southeastern Wisconsin, is updated daily and can be viewed at www.biztimes.com.

Readers of Small Business Times and the BizTimes Daily news bulletin are invited to register on line for free to attend the Wisconsin Business & Technology Expo, May 2-3. Pre-registered business people can see more than 200 businesses and organizations that have reserved booths to showcase their products, services and staff at the Expo. Attendees also can sign up for more than 30 free seminars to help them grow their companies. For more information about the attractions at the Expo, visit www.biztimes.com/expo.