Developers, utility companies, project sponsors, and government entities are ofte…
Community relations: opening channels of communication and strengthening ties in the community.
Mower Public Relations and Public Affairs specializes in developing community engagement strategies and tactics that tell your story and make sure the right audiences hear it.
From energy to public works to private industrial development projects, we help organizations open channels of communication with key stakeholders, strengthening ties throughout the community, easing opposition, creating good will and, ultimately, garnering support through mutually beneficial relationships.
Some of Mower’s tactics to successfully engage communities include:
- Open houses/facility tours
- Newspaper advertorials
- Corporate social responsibility programs
- Influencer outreach
- Polls, surveys, focus groups and message testing
- Editorial board outreach
- Videos and displays
- Public meetings
- Speakers bureaus
- Event planning and activation
Our Approach
We’re experts at understanding all the dynamics of a specific location. Mower will compile a document of all influential stakeholders in the communities where project development is ongoing. This can include nonprofit organizations, government leaders, environmental groups, advocacy groups, prominent community activists, local influencers, and anyone else who could affect the success of the project.
Mower works with clients to ensure our outreach includes all stakeholders. This allows landowners, community members and elected officials to have their questions answered and concerns addressed in a timely manner.
Examples of Mower’s community relations projects include:
- Management of preservation board meetings, community discussions, petitions and more to successfully convert an old packaging center into a world-class brewhouse, restaurant and museum for Genesee Beer.
- Leading the community outreach required by state and local approval of SEQRA, Article VII, CPCN and local zoning in Maine and New York for AVANGRID’s $2 billion transmission upgrade project.
- Gaining state, federal and international government support for Plan 2014, a proposal from several nongovernmental organizations — Save the River, The Nature Conservancy, WWF-Canada, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, American Rivers and Audubon New York — to regulate water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
- Design and implementation of public information outreach initiatives for one of the largest environmental remediation projects in the United States — the cleanup of Onondaga Lake.
- Milestone events, social media and media relations outreach to increase awareness and understanding of the benefits of the City of Cincinnati’s streetcar proposal.
