Nuclear waste facility siting Energy conservation Workplace fatalities Chemical plant leaks Labor negotiations, job action Landfill expansion Quarry permitting Corporate hostile takeovers Election campaigns Telecom competition Environmental hearings Plant closings Regulatory violations Animal rights protests Tax increases Service decreases Utility rate increases Industrial malodors Educational opportunities Water pressure School safety Waste transportation routes Brownfield development Taxation policy Budget cuts Air quality reports Municipal annexation Community safety Regional public safety Fraud prevention

This experience has been gained the hard way: while siting nuclear waste facilities, providing worst-case scenario information to industrial neighbors, promoting fair funding for public schools, covering media relations during labor unrest, reversing budget cuts or tax increases, announcing downsizing or plant closings, and expanding quarries or landfills.

Many of the same risk communications skills also have been applied to social marketing campaigns, such as seat belt usage, smoking cessation and obesity prevention.

Triad offers the following community outreach/public engagement services:

Needs assessment. Using a variety of publicly available information, on-site visits and one-on-one interviews, Triad’s research team can help the client to understand the community’s collective values: safety, preservation, education, recreation, growth, etc. This information, as well as identification of both formal and informal opinion leaders, can help to anticipate the opportunities— and opposition— the campaign may encounter.

Message development/delivery/discipline. Armed with current insights into community knowledge and acceptance, Triad helps clients to fine-tune messages that are clear, concise and consistent with community values. This approach allows community members to “hear” the client’s messages without a high-risk/low-trust filter.

Network/coalition development. Once community leaders are identified and priorities established, Triad helps clients to arrange meetings with influencers to explain a proposed project or position. These meetings may be staffed by client personnel, Triad personnel or a team including both subjectmatter- experts from the client and COPE experts from Triad. Each meeting is an opportunity to introduce your organization’s needs and to demonstrate how a proposed solution could help to meet community needs.

Branding the movement. Depending on the nature of the campaign, it may be desirable to name the coalition to encourage member ownership. Triad has developed websites, logos, public-service announcements, newsletters, billboards and banners, buttons and stickers, direct-mail materials, branded hardhats and other clothing for people to identify themselves with the movement. Meeting monitoring. For long-term or multi-front campaigns, clients often call on Triad to attend and report on community meetings or public hearings to identify emerging issues, correct misunderstandings and reinforce community contacts.

Spokesperson training. Delivering messages effectively through the glare of TV lights or in front of concerned stakeholders requires training and practice. Our clients have acquitted themselves in high-stakes venues, including the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes and ABC’s 20/20, and other national media feeding frenzies.

Hands-on media relations. Organizations without in-house media relations capabilities often enlist Triad to work directly with the news media on their behalf. Triad provides 24/7 media relations services as required.

Campaign debriefs and celebrations. After most of the work is done, Triad can convene a meeting of stakeholders (or at least coalition partners) to determine opportunities for improvement in future campaigns. And, if the efforts are successful, it’s important to recognize coalition partners for their contribution – and prime them for other opportunities to work together.

Triad's COPE team

Rick Kelly, director of Triad’s Crisis Communications practice, has spent more than 30 years in the public affairs and communications arena as a reporter, corporate communications manager and consultant.A veteran of the nuclear power industry, he has helped guide a multitude of clients through all types of crises and has helped others avoid them or at least lessen their impact. Under his direction, Triad has developed a national reputation.

Randy King, a senior associate at Triad, is former communications director for the City of Harrisburg, where he served as public information officer for the city’s emergency management team. In addition to handling crisis response for floods, fires, prison escapes, hostage incidents and hazmat spills, Randy spent time at Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks. He is certified in five categories for the National Incident Management System and has trained municipal officials and public information officers.