Community Relations and Issue Management 

Systematic Outreach Programs to Manage Risks and Cultivate Community Support

Behan Communications provides public relations and customized community relations management programs to help clients nationwide cultivate community and political support for proposed development projects and to reduce legal, reputational and/or political exposure related to environmental or operating issues.

Our community relations strategies are founded in cultural, political and economic research of the targeted community or neighborhood and execution of a systematic and respectful grassroots strategy to gain local understanding and foster public opinion favorable to our client’s interest. The programs rely on tactics effectively used in door-to-door political or grassroots advocacy campaigns though they are conducted on a less visible basis. Our goal is to help foster credible relationships among our clients and people in their communities. Interactions with each neighbor or property owner are tracked over time as our consultants work to establish authentic relationships based on trust.  

RELEVANT
EXPERIENCE

Behan’s Community Relations Management programs have been used successfully in:

  • Upstate New York to manage community relations on the largest Superfund cleanup project in the United States;

  • Central New York State to build community and political support for a major utility line;

  • Adirondack Park of New York State to build support for tourist facility development;

  • Saratoga County, N.Y., to manage community concerns related to an industrial landfill;

  • Cedarburg, Wisconsin, to manage potential community impacts at the site of an environmental cleanup along a creek in a residential neighborhood;

  • Pittsfield, Mass., at the site of a major environmental cleanup in a residential neighborhood;

  • Fort Edward, N.Y, in a residential neighborhood after groundwater contamination was discovered;

  • Queensbury, N.Y., to manage local government and community concerns related to an industrial landfill;

  • Hartford, N.Y., to foster community understanding and support for an industrial quarry operation;

  • Southern California, to manage community relations in a neighborhood where potential indoor air contamination was being investigated;

  • Salina, N.Y., in a residential neighborhood where PCBs were being cleaned from a creek;

  • Coeymans, N.Y., to develop public and political support for a controversial recycling facility.