Nuts About Southwest

Richard Sweet

Senior Director of Planning and Distribution

Richard is presently Senior Director of Planning and Distribution for Southwest Airlines in Dallas. As is the case with many Southwest Airlines leaders, he has taken a nontraditional path to his present position. Starting in 1985 as a provisioning agent in Dallas, he parleyed an expertise in bagging ice, stocking beer and liquor, and maneuvering funny looking trucks between the wings of earth tone-colored 737s into a Marketing Manager position in Phoenix. In 1988 he had kissed up enough to earn Southwest’s President’s Award for Marketing. From there he was promoted to Los Angeles District Marketing Manager most likely because no one else wanted the position. Not wanting to leave the 120-degree climate of the desert and live in a Southern California oasis, he elected to commute on a daily basis across a time zone (yes, he flew back and forth everyday). After interacting with 7,643,252 Customers and aging at a rate of three times that of a normal human being over three and a half years of flying, Richard was offered the position of Regional Marketing Manager in St. Louis to free up an addition seat between Phoenix and Los Angeles, thus enabling the Company to make more money. Eleven years ago he made his way back to Dallas and was ultimately responsible for corporate sales (SWABIZ), field marketing, sports marketing and other promotional responsibilities throughout the United States. He also served on the Marketing Planning Committee for the Company. In 2005 somebody important thought he was a pretty funny guy and he was presented the airline’s prestigious “Sense of Humor Award.” In late 2006 he actually left Southwest for a 9 month stint with the Athletic Department at his alma mater, SMU. He returned in his present capacity and oversees all distribution areas as well as the marketing planning for the Company. In addition he is leading and participating in a few long term projects. Incredibly, Richard has two charming, intelligent, and athletic children who most people believe are adopted because they are charming, intelligent, and athletic. The kids are certifiably his biological offspring. Additionally, despite blowing off numerous classes in the early 1980’s, Richard was able to eek out a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Southern Methodist University while attending on an athletic scholarship. (Yes, those were the days that SMU athletes were paid but also the days the Ponies kicked the butts of the best paid athletes UT and Texas A&M could afford.)