Business View Magazine | December 2019

209 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2019 THE SOUTHERN WI SCONS IN REGIONAL A I RPORT little unique because we maintain those higher FAA standards,” he explains, “yet we don’t have commercial planes in and out. That makes access in and out, easier. And because we do have a control tower, I think that gives us a very distinct advantage over other general aviation airports that are un-towered because of that safety factor. I also feel that our surface areas are in very good condition. I’m proud of my staff; we only have four maintenance guys who take care of about 1,300 acres. They do a really good job with the paved surfaces, the Airport lighting, the grass mowing in the summer, and the winter snow removal operations. For the area that we have to cover, I think we do an exceptional job.” “Another advantage for us is that we have our own Airport Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle,” Cullen continues. “My guys are also cross-trained as firefighters and first responders. That gives us a very distinct advantage to those corporate entities looking for a place to house their multi-million-dollar jet, knowing that, for safety reasons, we do have that response capability. We have a three-minute response to any part of the airfield.” Going forward, Cullen believes that Southern Wisconsin Regional will continue to be less suited for commercial aviation than as a hub for cargo operations. “We’re very close to Rockford; close to Chicago O’Hare; Milwaukee is not that far; Madison is not that far. So, I find it unlikely that any of the big commercial airlines would want to build here, but what I think is a good possibility is some of those cargo hubs that need locations to fly cargo in and out – I think we’d be a prime location for that. Based on our proximity to southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, I think it could be a very positive thing. We have, probably, about 500 acres of agriculture land and almost all of that could be developed differently. So, let’s say a company wanted to set up a large ramp and building to maybe bring in and ship out via air, some cargo; we do have some areas that could be developed. The interstate system isn’t that far from us, we can handle an increase