March-April 2004
Professional public relations pointers on how to run an aggregate operation and still be the “good guy”.
By Jim Cupper
Quarries are not exactly considered local attractions by their neighbors.
Blasting, crusher operation, and the use of heavy equipment make for noisy
neighbors. Trucks going to and from the quarry cause traffic problems
and permeate the air with the scent of diesel. And then there’s
the dust. For people who find it on the hood of their minivan, it’s
a nuisance. But when they start to wonder about what may be in that dust,
fear steps in.
And that’s what happened in Aggregate Industries’ Northeast
Region. When citizens began to raise questions about the quarries and
whether or not they were a danger to their health and homes, a firestorm
of unfavorable publicity ensued. Some members of the neighborhoods closest
to the quarries organized, formed partnerships with other local environmental
groups, and began their attack via public demonstrations, vocal appearances
at town meetings, and accusatory interviews with the press.
The local citizen groups claimed that the quarry dust caused cancer and
that blasting was structurally damaging homes. They pressured local officals
to investigate and take action, straining Aggregate Industries’
relationships with elected officials and regulators.
Perhaps most damaging was that the general public’s perception of
the company was becoming far removed from reality. In fact, Aggregate
Industries seemed to be doing everything it could to be a good neighbor
while maintaining a viable business.
The company invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to be neighborly,
installing wheel-washing equipment, constructing acoustic barriers, and
cleaning public streets. In one location, Aggregate Industries moved the
quarry’s entrance and proceeded to construct a new public street
at no cost to area residents in order to improve traffic flow and safety.
So if the company was trying so hard, why was it still being considered
the “bad guys”? One reason may be that the community was getting
just one side of the story. For example, Aggregate Industries did a lot
of community-minded things but never told anyone about it. So when angry
citizens began pointing their fingers and making accusations against the
company, the public had little choice but to accept the image projected
by angry citizen groups.
There are ways out of what can seem like a no-win situation. As shown
in the case of Aggregate Industries, a few critical guidelines can make
a difference.
Get the truth out
The community groups from Aggregate Industries’ neighborhoods considered
quarries a nuisance, but when rumors linking dust to cancer and blasting
to home damage arose, they declared war.
Aggregate Industries knew the dust emanating from their quarry wasn’t
dangerous. After all, they worked in it all day long and had it periodically
tested by an outside lab, which always found the dust well within MSHA
and OSHA regulations. In addition, Aggregate Industries conducted noise
and vibration testing on a regular basis to make sure those levels were
within safe and legal boundaries.
But the public didn’t know that, and since they didn’t, they
assumed that Aggregate Industries was hiding something, even though test
results were technically available to the public.
When you have information such as a safe test result, it’s best
to get it out there, even when it’s not being called for. If it
periodically ends up in the hands of a local reporter, it will trigger
something if an accusation does come out.
It is also important to be prepared for questions when they do arise.
Have documented information handy when reporters or even concerned citizens
call for information. Something as simple as a recently compiled, dated
report of environmental compliance may help you prove that your company
has nothing to hide and takes environmental concerns very seriously.
When explaining your company’s side of a story, it’s sometimes
necessary to explain the facts without getting too technical, since a
lot of the information will probably be lost on the public. When Aggregate
Industries’ blasting was blamed for cracks in homes built near the
quarry, the company used a video to compare the effects of the type of
vibration caused by blasting to the vibrations caused during daily household
activity.
Aggregates Industries’
Swampscott quarry assisted the local bomb squad detonate an unexploded
World War II ordinance. Sharing positive stories such as this one helped
show that the company was being a good neighbor.
At Aggregates Industries’ Peabody quarry, closed-circuit
televisions were installed to ensure that trucks leaving the operation
were covered. The company also installed sprinkler systems and acoustical
board to reduce dust and noise from the operation.
Know the media
When you’re trying to get the truth into the hands of the public,
it’s important to use the correct channels. The media can be a helpful
tool, but they aren’t there to write down everything you say.
A loud and angry presence at public meetings and public demonstrations
on or near quarry property allowed citizen groups to take advantage of
press attention. It was crucial to make sure journalists had direct responses
from Aggregate Industries in their hands prior to press time.
When situations arose, we immediately wrote a press release that clearly
and briefly outlined the facts and provided contacts and sources, allowing
reporters to easily capture the information necessary to pursue a story.
“When you’re writing a press release to local news outlets,
it’s important not to be too long-winded,” says Christine
Smith, an associate at McCrosky Marketing Communications. “The reporters
will write the article. You just need to get them the raw information
and the sources they can contact to find out more.”
When you’re sending a release, Smith adds, make sure it’s
going to the right person. Don’t send a release dealing with last
night’s town meeting to the environmental or business beat reporters
if that’s not within their responsibilities. Finding out who covers
what on an ongoing basis will keep press releases out of the trash.
To make sure we stayed on top of local media contacts, we developed a
database of Aggregate Industries’ local and regional media contacts.
The database was more than a list of names and fax numbers for press releases,
however. It also was used to build relationships.
Establishing these working relationships with editors and reporters is
crucial to getting the message out. As representatives of Aggregates Industries,
we want reporters to contact us whenever they have an assignment relating
to the company. It gives us the opportunity to tell our side of the story
and set the facts straight before anything is published.
Establish trust
In the case of Aggregate Industries, neighborhood groups’ accusations
and frustrations elevated to a level of extreme distrust. When Aggregate
Industries would be re-approved for working permits or government leaders
found test results acceptable, neighborhood activists responded by accusing
the company of strong-arming local government. The company needed to establish
a working relationship with neighborhood groups, one based on mutual trust.
One solution, a two-phase plan, was designed to gradually join representatives
from Aggregate Industries and neighborhood activists in a productive dialogue.
All meetings between Aggregate Industries and neighborhood groups had
been in a public forum, without strong mediation.
“Throwing them all in a room was not the solution,” says Smith.
“There was too much anger, too much distrust between the two groups.
And it wasn’t fair to expect local government to mediate.”
The goal of the first phase was to obtain community input in a low-key
situation, away from Aggregate Industries and the press. The focus was
on key representatives of the neighborhood groups to give them a chance
to voice their concerns. Representatives from our agency were there to
listen and record concerns. A professional mediator was on hand for support.
In a situation where things are extremely tense, you need to slowly, carefully
open the lines of communication and allow concerned citizens to talk as
much and as long as they want to. The goal is to get them to begin trusting
the company’s interest in what they have to say.
The second phase included the same group of neighborhood activists, select
members of the press, and environmental and blasting experts from Aggregate
Industries and outside companies. A Phase II meeting draws on hard data
to respond to the concerns presented at the first meeting.
“It may take more than one Phase 1 or Phase 2 meeting, depending
on the circumstances,” says Smith. “And if relations are still
strained, it may not be wise to bring the press in to Phase 2, since it
could just become a public forum for each side’s cause.”
Once the Phase 1 and Phase 2 meetings are complete, a meeting can be scheduled
with the media to review and discuss the status of the situation, but
only with the blessing of the neighborhood or community groups involved
in the initial meetings.
“You can diminish trust in a heartbeat if neighborhood groups are
given the impression that you’re only listening to their concerns
for the company’s gain,” adds Smith.
Aggregate Industries used a video to compare the effects of blasting vibration
to those of household activities, such as children playing.
Develop a plan
An effective approach to public relations begins with identifying the
problem, developing solution-oriented goals, and designing strategies
and tactics to achieve the goals.
Aggregate Industries’ plan addressed immediate problems with disgruntled
neighbors, but also included long-term strategies to develop and maintain
a good public image as well. Both were considered important to the company’s
ability to conduct business within their quarries’ communities.
A plan may be as simple as sending press releases out whenever your company
is responsible for good news, or as crucial as crisis-related action.
In any case, a written plan can serve as a point of reference for all
participating employees. If a strategic, step-by-step approach is not
used, a public relations plan can become a waste of time. Not only can
you lose focus, but you tend to have different people responding to problems
in their own way, and some of those ways can be disastrous.
Be proactive, not reactive
While the public relations plan developed for Aggregate Industries dealt
with an immediate crisis-type situation, it was important to also plan
for the long term. Bad news will always happen, and someone will always
be upset about something.
Bad news can be minimized if a consistent flow of good news is published.
Aggregate Industries is a company already involved in its communities,
doing things like donating materials like crushed stone for playgrounds,
memorials, and Little League parks. The company often responded to unconventional
requests. For example, when a large tree fell on a power line in the middle
of the town during a severe storm and left residents without electricity,
the company used its heavy equipment to move the downed tree out of the
way. A storm-damaged sea wall threatened to flood homes, and Aggregate
Industries rebuilt it. And when an unexploded ordinance dating to World
War II was found in a residential basement, the Swampscott quarry assisted
the local bomb squad with its safe detonation.
The good stories were there. They just needed to be told. Information-gathering
systems were put in place to maintain contact with the immediate sources
of potential news stories — quarry managers. Monthly e-mails, followed
by telephone calls, provided an opportunity to ask managers for good news
stories and kept public relations on their minds. News tip forms were
placed in every quarry office as a quick and easy method of information
gathering; managers could jot down a very brief explanation of the source
of good news and fax the form to us for follow up.
For the busy quarry manager, public relations often ends up at the bottom
of the to-do list, and newsworthy events often are left unreported or
are reported long after they’re considered timely. In order to persuade
managers to make time to submit news tips, a $100 “bounty”
is planned for bona fide news tips reported within 24 hours of an event.
Management mailed “bounty” letters to quarry managers, and
we designed authentic-looking “wanted” posters and hung them
in quarry offices. Sometimes it just takes a creative approach to get
people involved.
Not every press release becomes a story. But one story is worth a hundred
press releases if it sheds positive light on a company.
What should you do if your company is not particularly involved in its
community? Adopt a high-profile cause your company can associate itself
with, such as local wildlife protection, litter pickup, or land preservation.
And don’t be afraid to send press releases when an employee has
done something for the common good on their own time — a company
is, after all, made up of its employees.
Aggregate Industries is making strides to overcome its public image troubles.
But they have come only after systematic, positive measures were taken
to change the way it communicated with its communities — and vice
versa.
Jim Cupper is the proprietor of McCrosky Marketing Communications, an advertising and public relations agency whose clients include Aggregates Industries and other construction companies and associations. He can be reached at 269-341-9320.
Put your leadership skills through the processing cycle and become more versatile, valuable, and capable.
By Bill Dyer
Follow the life of a rock in your quarry, and you will see shotrock being
loaded, carried up the haul road, and dumped into the primary crusher.
You might see it crushed, separated, cleaned, mixed, and sold.
Through the processing cycle, it becomes more versatile, valuable, and
capable. With regard to reaching your highest potential, you must do the
same thing. You must “become more” today than you were yesterday.
When a leader opens the door each morning, and steps into this world of
massive change and unpredictability, he or she doesn’t shrink back
and say “How in the world am I going to make it through the day?”
A leader walks through that door with head held high and does what he
or she needs to do in order to be more productive and effective, and gain
a competitive advantage.
Becoming more as a person means engaging in a continuous process of growth.
It means being aware of where there’s room for improvement and taking
action. It might involve going back to school, taking a class, attending
a training session, reading a book, asking questions, developing character
traits, managing time better, being more open to coaching, and the list
goes on and on.
Sometimes your opportunity for growth is obvious. For example, if you
are given a promotion that requires you to know more than you do about
financial statements or haul trucks, your opportunity for growth is clear.
You can become more by being trained in your new area of responsibility.
In other cases, opportunities for growth aren’t nearly as obvious.
For example, imagine you are driving home after a horrible day at work.
Nothing went right. Murphy ruled your day. Among many other things, you
got into a heated argument with neighbors who want your operation gone,
even though you were there long before they were born. Your boss called
you in for a meeting about your performance. He was not at all happy about
the way you handled something. Based on a prior meeting with him, you
did exactly what you thought was the best and exactly right. You can’t
get this off your mind. You are consumed with what might happen to you
next.
As your hand tightens around the steering wheel, your cell phone rings,
and one of your key people asks for some figures that she needs for a
morning conference call. You reach to the passenger seat to open your
folder, pull out a report, and nearly collide with a car that pulled in
front of you.
You swerve off the road to avoid a collision and hit a stump that destroys
your suspension. You come to a stop, unable to drive further. Now you
are really mad — mad at the other driver, mad about the inconvenience.
The above scenario is a snapshot of life. Stuff happens. Oh well, there’s
really nothing we can do about such things. Or is there?
Although it’s not immediately obvious, such experiences hold a phenomenal
opportunity for growth. Like a rock in a crusher, you can break yourself
open and look at what you did or didn’t do to contribute to your
results. You can break yourself open to be refined and become more —
more versatile, more valuable — a person who has taken the time
to work on expanding your capabilities.
The meeting with angry neighbors could provide an opportunity for you
to become more patient and calm. Instead of engaging in an argument, you
might create a very rewarding relationship by inviting them on a tour
of the quarry, during which you address their concerns.
If the situation with your boss involved a misunderstanding, you have
an opportunity to become more understanding by asking more questions when
you meet with people. You also have an opportunity to become a better
listener, so you can clarify things in your conversations with people.
A self-evaluation of your actions during your coworker’s phone call,
may show you that retrieving the data while driving may have contributed
to your accident. You can then use the experience to become more aware
when you drive, and ultimately become safer as a result.
Consider how the same, awful day might have gone had you previously developed
qualities such as listening, understanding, awareness, and safety consciousness.
Every experience and encounter can be viewed as an opportunity to become
more in a way that will later pay off. Sometimes, your smallest and most
subtle adjustments make the biggest difference in the results you produce.
Tomorrow is a new day. You’ll break rocks to make them more valuable
and expand their capabilities. You’ll refine rocks so they can create
a solid foundation for future growth.
Hold yourself to the same standard. Break yourself open, and refine what
you find. Become more valuable, expand your capabilities, and strengthen
your foundation. That’s your job as a rock-solid leader.
Bill Dyer is a professional speaker and trainer for Quantum Leap Resources, Greensboro, N.C.