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Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.

From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.

Snapshot of YTD Results for Schnitzer West: Real Estate Investment, Development and Property Management Leader

When thinking about Seattle or the Puget Sound region, what words come to mind? Thriving tech industry? Music hub? Craft beer and coffee capital? In addition to these vital descriptors, Seattle is home to a booming real-estate market.

While the residential market appears to be cooling, according to Zillow; it’s a different story with the commercial real estate market. Seattle is often referred to as a Renaissance city for commercial real estate investments with more than 6.4 million square feet of space slated to come to market in 2019, according to a study by commercial real estate blog Commercial Café. The upward investment in commercial real estate is a result of Seattle’s dynamic job market and an example of how the region’s growing workforce is impacting the economy.

Our longstanding client Schnitzer West, a premier vertically integrated real estate investment firm, is a significant player in the commercial real estate market in the Seattle/Bellevue region as well as in Denver.

Since the company’s inception in 1997, Schnitzer West has developed more than 7.8 million square feet of property in Seattle, and Denver. The company also acquired and repositions developments and to date, manages nearly 4 million square feet of office, flex and industrial buildings in these markets.

This has been an exciting year for the 22 year-old-company with four notable sales and/or acquisitions: two in the Puget Sound region and two in Denver. Below is an overview of these announcements and the coverage we secured to build awareness of Schnitzer West’s expertise developing and repositioning office space to meet the unique needs of today’s workforce.

Swift Real Estate Partners Acquires Bellevue 520 Corridor from Schnitzer West and RMA

In August, Schnitzer West announced the sale of Bellevue 520 Corridor Office Portfolio (520 Portfolio) comprised of Bel Kirk 520 and Centra Office Park to Swift Real Estate Partners. Schnitzer West and RMA sold the 520 Portfolio for $59.3 million. Bellevue is a dynamic and growing submarket in the Puget Sound region, according to Bellevue’s Downtown Association, there was nearly 1.5 million square feet of office space developed in Downtown Bellevue from 2017 to 2018.

Vanbarton Group Purchases Seattle’s 901 Fifth Avenue Office Tower from Investcorp and Schnitzer West for $305 Million

Earlier this summer, Vanbarton Group a privately owned, vertically integrated real estate investment and advisory firm purchased 901 Fifth Avenue from Schnitzer West and Investcorp for $305 million. The 100 percent occupied office tower is a 541,190-square foot, 41-story Class-A building in Seattle’s central business district.

Schnitzer West Acquires New Mixed-use Property in Denver’s Flourishing Central Business District 

In April, Schnitzer West announced the purchase of a parcel of land located at 3615 Delgany St., in the River North Art District (RiNo) of the Central Business District (CBD) of Denver. The acquisition of the Delgany property is an example of the role Schnitzer West is playing to help build a business presence in RiNo district that will support those living and working in the district and greater region.

Schnitzer West Acquires Two Properties in Southeast Denver Area

In Q1 2019, Schnitzer West announced the purchase of two properties in the Denver area: Peakview Place in Centennial, Colorado and 115 Inverness in Englewood, Colorado. Both properties are ideally positioned in transit-oriented locations within Denver’s southeast suburban (SES) submarket, which is Denver’s largest office market. This purchase demonstrates another example of Schnitzer West’s commitment to bringing the Denver workforce office space that best supports their needs.

We are excited to continue partnering with Schnitzer West and raise awareness around the role they are playing in strengthening the Puget Sound and Denver business districts. As the job market in these regions continues to evolve, Schnitzer West will continue to innovate its development and design strategies to support the needs of businesses and exceed the workforce’s expectations. 

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Recommended Reading: Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Earlier this month I was at a gathering talking with a long-time business colleague. He shared that when he recently agreed to join a company’s board of directors, he requested that everyone on that board read the book “Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.”

In a society that seems to be about doing more, FOMO (fear of missing out), and stating how busy we are as a badge of honor – the appeal of “pursuing less” is super attractive but seems incongruent to professional success and business growth. Yet author Greg McKeown makes the case in the first chapter that “[essentialism] is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done.”

McKeown shares a personal story, which led to his own discovery of the lesson that “if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will.”

And, by prioritizing energy and resources on the right things, while deliberately eliminating the non-essentials, we define a path where we can “enjoy the journey, not just the destination.” The idea is to focus on the one thing that provides the highest level of contribution and eliminates the noise and distractions in order to pursue success.

Identifying and focusing on one thing seems daunting; however, McKeown guides readers on how to “discern the trivial many from the vital few,” and then “how to cut out the trivial many.” The final section focuses on execution and the ways we can “make the vital few things almost effortless.”

If you find yourself stretched too thin, resentful of something you committed to do, or are feeling busy but not productive, I encourage you to read “Essentialism” and consider, as McKeown wisely offers, “the relentless pursuit of less but better.”

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Level up Home Launches With the Opening of Its First Home for At-Risk and Former Foster Care Youth

When Level Up Home reached out to Communiqué PR for some help with the launch of its organization, the answer was a resounding “Yes.” Working for an organization with such an important cause was easy to do.

Level Up Home is a new nonprofit organization whose mission is to support youth ages 18-24 who are at-risk or have aged out of the foster-care system and need housing to finish earning their high school diplomas. The nonprofit provides these young adults with consistent housing, meals and business partnerships that empower them to finish high school and implement a self-development plan around education, career and life skills. The organization has business partners who offer career and trade exploration opportunities such as mentorship programs, job shadowing, internships and full-time employment.

To mark the official launch of Level Up Home, the organization opened its first home in Edmonds, Wash., for this underserved and vulnerable young adult population. To celebrate, Edmonds’ mayor and the Edmonds Chamber of commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, July 26, 2019, at the home in Edmonds.

Frank Shankwitz, one of the supporters of Level Up Home and the creator and a founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, was a guest of honor at this event. After his success with Make-A-Wish, Shankwitz turned his attention to two other causes he cares deeply about: foster youth and U.S. veterans. He is chairman of Cause Equity, an organization that buys housing and leases it at below-market rates to nonprofit organizations such as Level Up Seattle and U.S. Vets.

Level Up Home is currently receiving referrals for youth who can potentially benefit from the nonprofit’s services, a process that began on Aug. 15. The organization is working with the Department of Children and Young Families  (formerly DSHS), YouthNet, Friends of Youth, Tree House, various school district liaisons and high school athletics coaches to help facilitate connections with young adults who need stable housing. Initially, the home will be occupied by 10 young adults and the organization’s program director.

Communiqué PR had the opportunity to work with the Edmonds Beacon to secure media coverage of the launch. You can read the full article here: Seattle nonprofit opens home for youth locally.

We are thrilled to have supported this impressive nonprofit organization as it opened its doors to youth in need. We look forward to watching Level Up Home thrive!

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Innovative PR Campaigns and Steps to Creating Your Own

Coming up with a brand-new campaign idea can be tough. It might seem like all the creative ideas have been taken, or that your idea is too far-fetched for the target audience’s acceptance. While it’s impossible to foresee how a public relations campaign will be analyzed by the outside eye, it’s important to note that there is no clear-cut method or technique for an outstanding campaign’s design/execution and that the success of a campaign depends on various factors including current trends and the brand’s significance, among others.

 Fortunately, there are plenty of innovational PR campaigns to help spark creative thought processes. This HubSpot blog dives into a few creative campaigns, ranging from the automotive industry to the travel & leisure industry that may help shape your own original ideas.

  • AirBnB and BBC Earth Leverages Blue Planet II: The show, “Blue Planet II” garnered a whopping 14 million viewers who watched its first episode and is considered the greatest nature series of all time. Realizing the significance of the show to its viewers, BBC Earth partnered with AirBnB to offer members the chance to explore the Atlantic Ocean in a submarine with the show’s filmmakers.
  • Lyft Riders Experience Stranger Things: Within a day of “Stranger Things 2” being released, over 360,000 people had watched the show on Netflix. Lyft played a large role in building up the show’s release by creating “Strange Mode,” a campaign that made Lyft riders feel as if they were in a similar environment as that of Hawkins, Ind., the show’s location.
  • Old Spice’s Paper Blazers: Oftentimes, magazines are flooded with fragrance samples. Old Spice steered away from the traditional style of samples, combining fragrance with fashion. Their disposable paper blazers allowed men to show off their style, as well as attract attention with their smell.
  • SpaceX Sending a Tesla to Space: It’s always incredible to see the work being done in space, especially when it comes to launching a car to Mars. In 2018, SpaceX launched Falcon Heavy into space and soon after deployed a red Tesla into orbit, being deemed as the “greatest automotive PR stunt in history.”    

The innovative approaches of these campaigns prove that the success of a campaign is often dependent upon its creativity and uniqueness. However, it is important to keep in mind the intended target audience and the need to craft applicable content for that audience.

This Entrepreneur article dives into three essentials for creating an effective PR campaign:

  1. Establish clear goals. One of the first steps of campaign planning is to outline media goals and from there begin strategizing the best route to fulfill those goals. There are multiple factors why companies engage with the media, including building customer awareness and improving the brand’s image. After defining media goals, it’s critical to then decide the target audience. This part should be fairly simple, as the campaign’s announcement should grant a huge clue as to who would be interested in the news.
  2. Choose the type of content. Defining media goals will help define the type of content to include in a campaign. High-tier publications usually only cover stories with significant newsworthiness. If your campaign does not have a compelling announcement, it may be better suited for a blog post or contributed content. If there is an interesting product or company backstory, this may be best suited for a proactive pitch to journalists. To reach existing customers or clients, it’s a best practice to continually develop blog posts and engage on social media.
  3. Choose your media channel. Now that you’ve established the type of content to share, it’s time to choose the type of channel to share the campaign. Depending on this content and the intent of the campaign, the channel could be leading publications, industry publications, social media, networking sites, blogs, and even podcasts. For example, if your campaign centered around crowdfunding, it may not be the best fit for a high-tier publication and may be better suited for a blog or podcast. Similarly, high-tier publications often do not cover “inward- facing” company news; if this is part of your campaign, consider sharing this news on social media or through a blog post.

Campaign planning is often time-consuming and full of complex decision-making. However, if a campaign is prepared well and the target audience sees the purpose, the payoff can be indescribable.

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Defining Success and Highlighting the Value of PR

I recently stumbled across an article in PR Daily that highlights that PR professionals’ No. 1 concern is proving value. According to a report by Muck Rack, the top challenges facing PR professionals are difficulty measuring impact and lack of quantifiable measurements.

Interestingly, within the last two weeks, I’ve received multiple requests from clients to provide holistic metrics highlighting the results of our work for broader company distribution. Along with one of those requests, I was also asked if I had other recommendations around tracking metrics.

As an agency, this is something we discuss frequently. We are constantly seeking ways to provide value, as well as highlight the results we secure. The question “How or will this add value to their organization?” is one that drives the decisions we make on behalf of our clients.

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks and meeting deadlines; and it doesn’t always allow us the time to merchandize our results or demonstrate the value of our work. Below is an overview of the steps to track and present results.

Define Success and Set Expectations

When engaging with a new client, one of the first questions we ask is: What does success look like to you? Their answer will influence the work we do as well as how we share the results.

If the client wants to see an increase in the number of articles secured, then we’ll likely need to increase the amount of pitches we’re distributing to journalists. If they would like to see the number of articles in business publications increase, then we’ll need to work with them to secure the elements needed to place stories in those outlets.

Additionally, in order to be successful, it’s critical that you are positioned for success. One of the foundational pieces to being set up for success is having shared expectations. For example, if a client’s main objective is to be on the front page of The New York Times, but they’ve never engaged in any form of PR and do not have any noteworthy events coming up within the next year, it is critical that you take the time to educate them on what would be required to secure a piece like that and the work that needs to be executed to build to that placement.

Without sharing expectations defining success, it will be incredibly difficult to evaluate if the work you’re doing and results you’re securing are valuable to the client.

Go Beyond Numbers

There are a variety of ways to measure results. The most common is to track and highlight the coverage secured. When tracking coverage you can also highlight the unique visitors per month or circulation, the domain authority, the number of link backs, shares on social media platforms, or the cost of the time required to place the article vs. the cost of advertising.

There are also ways to demonstrate value that go beyond quantifiable measurements. For instance, many of our clients are working to define new categories of technology or associate important key messages with their brand. When reviewing articles in target publications, highlight how many of those include the key messages. Or in other terms, highlight the qualitative impact of that article.

It’s important to work closely with the client to determine what metrics, quantifiable or qualitative, are most important for them to see and understand.

Highlight Results Often

One of our company values is transparency, and we strive to keep our clients informed and up to date on activities as well as the results these activities generate.

Following each announcement or pitch we highlight all items that we believe were valuable for the company, beyond coverage. For instance, if there was an interview with a journalist at a target publication that didn’t lead to coverage, we still highlight this as a win. Sure, coverage wasn’t secured, but this interview likely provided the journalist with information that they may choose to use in the future, as well as established a relationship between the organization and the reporter.

Additionally, every month when we deliver our invoices, we include a recap of the activities, but most importantly we include the results. This gives us another opportunity to demonstrate to the client what we were able to achieve on their behalf.

Demonstrating value is key to long-lasting partnerships and it’s crucial to take the time to define success and frequently highlight results to ensure you are demonstrating the value of your work.

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HNTB: Transforming Transportation in 2019

HNTB: Transforming Transportation in 2019

As we have crossed the halfway mark for 2019, I thought it would be interesting to look back at some of the articles written about HNTB, a leading infrastructure solutions provider. With more than a century of service, HNTB is transforming our region and the U.S. with its work on light rail, bridges, tunnels, highways, stadiums, airports and more.

In the Puget Sound region, this has been a significant year for HNTB with the opening of SR 99, the addition of many new staff members and other business developments. To learn more about the company’s momentum and impact, I’ve included links to a few of the articles about its progress and new hires.

HNTB’s Work on SR 99

 Opinion on Transportation Infrastructure & Related Issues

 HNTB’s Support for Small, Disadvantaged Businesses

 Giving Back Hearts & Hammers

 Support for Transportation YOU

 Personnel News

Mike Wongkaew, Tunneling Expert

Kevin Collins, VP, Seattle Office Leader

 Bradley Miller, Group Director

Loreanna Marciante, Emerging Mobility Solutions Engineer

 Kevin Farley, Senior Project Manager

 Jennie Santoro, Architecture Leader

Tim Dill, Architecture & Planning Expert

  • Daily Journal of Commerce, Tim Dill, July 31, 2019

Kimberly Demuth, Environmental Expert

As you can see a lot of progress has been made over the past six months. We look forward to building on this momentum and updating our blog with even more coverage of HNTB’s work in the Pacific Northwest at the end of the year.

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