CASE STUDIES:
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
SELECTED CASE STUDIES:
FAIRMOUNT MINERALS
BrownFlynn developed both a 2006 and 2007 Stakeholder Engagement plan for Fairmount Minerals, one of the nation’s largest producers of industrial sand products. After completing a thorough organizational stakeholder analysis, BrownFlynn trained employees in communicating effectively with more than 800 company stakeholders. BrownFlynn guided Fairmount Minerals through a process of sharing sustainable development information with key constituents and acquiring important feedback. Results included identification of opportunities for the company to work with and support local communities, improved company decision-making, internal and external consensus-building around sustainable development and enhanced company reputation with key stakeholders.
GLOBAL CONSUMER PRODUCTS COMPANY
BrownFlynn was hired by a Global Consumer Products Company to assist with employee engagement and communications for the company’s internal sustainable development activities. In addition to developing recommendations for an internal communications strategy, BrownFlynn was responsible for drafting company-wide memos outlining the company’s commitment, goals and progress for the benefit of all employees.
After devising a shared sustainability strategy with a sister company, the organization expanded BrownFlynn’s role to include development of a quarterly electronic sustainability newsletter for delivery to all colleagues in each division. BrownFlynn created a newsletter theme, masthead and format inclusive of both divisions’ cultures and commitment to “doing the right thing.” A message from the executive leadership of both divisions was also included. BrownFlynn recommended standard topics and drafted newsletter content to meet three key objectives:
- Educating employees on the sustainability commitment endorsed by both divisions, as well as examples of progress made by each
- Expanding employee understanding of the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social and economic) to build on a general understanding of sustainability as an environmental imperative
- Giving employees practical tools to grow sustainability from the ground-up at work, with an understanding that there is executive support for these grassroots-type efforts
The electronic newsletters are sent to all colleagues worldwide.
Between 2007 and the present, BrownFlynn has worked as a subcontractor on two separate stakeholder engagement projects for Greater Cleveland RTA. The first involved leading the community/stakeholder engagement portion of the URS redesign and reconstruction of the Cedar-University Rapid Transit Station.
The second involves managing community/stakeholder engagement for GCRTA’s strategic planning process through a subcontractor relationship with Parsons Brinckerhoff. In both cases, BrownFlynn has supported its contractor partners in devising engagement strategies and tactics that include:
- Identifying, engaging and managing key stakeholders;
- Creating effective communication materials to support all stakeholder meetings, including:
- Drafting/printing meeting invitations and managing RSVPs
- Strategically reviewing PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and Q&As;
- Writing and producing a concise and sophisticated executive summary of findings;
- Supporting ongoing communications with external audiences; and
- Supporting facilitation of public meetings (note: at this time, public meetings have only been conducted for the URS project, although BrownFlynn will provide similar support in the future for the Parsons strategic planning project)
For each of these projects, BrownFlynn provided strategic communications and stakeholder engagement consultation, drafted and edited materials, and managed all direct stakeholder communications, as well as participated in all stakeholder meetings. BrownFlynn also is currently involved as a subcontractor on the Blue Line corridor project, providing community engagement services in support of the public involvement process.
JW GREAT LAKES WIND/JUWI
In August 2006, the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force, chaired by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, began a research effort to explore the factors affecting the development of advanced energy resources in Northeast Ohio, specifically wind energy. Gaining national and international recognition for its groundbreaking determination, the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force strives to build the world’s first offshore wind turbine in a true fresh water environment and become a center for wind innovation.
Partnering with JW Great Lakes Wind (a wholly-owned subsidiary of German renewable energy developer juwi GmbH) and the Task Force, BrownFlynn was hired to manage stakeholder expectations, the message of the initiative over time and provide strategic consultation. Tasked with creating clear, succinct and consistent messaging, BrownFlynn developed a strategy and platform for managing a variety of stakeholder expectations and providing transparent and meaningful responses to be used in public forum, including the creation of key messages and an elevator speech. Advising the messaging and media strategy around the release of preliminary reports as well as the final Feasibility Study released in April 2009, BrownFlynn provided counsel to members of the Task Force and coordinated the release, helping to secure local, national and international news media coverage.
