`spaceship' Whooshed Back/ A Wilkes-barre Scrap Dealer Regains His Prize,
Thanks To A Couple Of Helpful Mineral Street Residents.

Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society Elects Officers

By JERRY LYNOTT jlynott@leader.net
 Friday, December 09, 2005 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





Impressed with the new terminal under construction, a leading airport
retailer proposed spending $1.5 million on the food, drink and gift
concessions with some local help. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Instead, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport has asked for $1.2
million in taxpayer funds to build out the concession space for the longtime
airport restaurant operator. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How much of his own money Leo Vergnetti will use to complement the public
funding has not been disclosed as the board of commissioners that operates the
airport continues to negotiate a lease agreement with him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Though no decision has formally been made, commissioners from Lackawanna
and Luzerne counties said they plan to accept Vergnetti's proposal over the
Hudson Group. No other firm has been publicly identified as having submitted a
competing proposal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I respect that," said Joseph DiDomizio, an executive vice president with
Hudson Group, of the airport's decision to go with Vergnetti of Scranton. Had
Hudson been the incumbent like Vergnetti, it would expect the same treatment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But DiDomizio said Thursday that he has not been notified that Hudson's
proposal was rejected for Vergnetti's. "My proposal stands." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nor could he confirm that the airport is building out the restaurant and
bar area based on Hudson's proposal. Former assistant airport director and
business manager Wy Gowell said the airport provided Hudson's proposal to
Vergnetti. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 DiDomizio recalled dealing with airport director Barry Centini and did not
remember Gowell. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't know that they shared my proposal," DiDomizio said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If it did, the airport might have done so "to get a better deal with the
incumbent" operator, he surmised. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sharing proposals, however, is not a common practice within his business,
DiDomizio acknowledged. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "A proposal is a piece of paper," he said. In someone else's hands it's
worth little because that person or company cannot execute the plan as can
Hudson. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hudson proposed building an Aero Mart, its brand name convenience shop in
the terminal's main concourse. The plans also included a Quiznos Sub and a
railroad-themed Roundhouse bar in the main area. Travelers would be able to
purchase a sandwich in Quiznos and take it into the bar. The total capital
outlay for the concessions was approximately $1.5 million. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I asked the airport to fund some of the investment," said DiDomizio, but
he declined to say how much. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He also declined to provide a copy of Hudson's proposal, saying that should
come from the airport. Calls to county solicitors requesting a copy of the
proposal were not returned. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last year Hudson made the proposal at the request of Centini, who had seen
the company's setup at the Harrisburg International Airport. Harrisburg
reached out to Hudson in the same way, DiDomizio noted. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The privately held company based in East Rutherford, N.J., prefers to do
business in airports larger than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Nationwide, Hudson
operates in 54 airports such Boston Logan, Los Angeles International, Chicago
O'Hare, Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But DiDomizio was wowed by the new terminal. "He (Centini) impressed me
with the amount of capital being spent." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Terminal construction costs are more than $35.4 million and do not include
the build out for the restaurant/bar areas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I think what they're doing at the airport is terrific," said DiDomizio. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To learn about the Hudson Group, visit its Web Site, www.hudsongroup.com &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Airport Retailer: Plan Still On Table/ Airport, Commissioners Are Leaning Toward Proposal Of Current Eatery Owner