Major projects advance when communities believe in them. In a landscape where public voice is louder, opposition mobilizes faster, and scrutiny arrives earlier, social permission is no longer a soft variable - it’s a determining condition for capital, permitting, siting, and long-term success. We help organizations earn that permission before, during, and after the moment of controversy. 

  • We enter before skepticism hardens, and move quickly when opposition is already rising. 

  • We build trust through people first, not just positioning. 

  • We operate locally, not abstractly. 

  • We stabilize the pendulum of public trust before it swings away. 

Our Approach

Our Process

We Listen First

We begin with the community, not the message - learning what matters locally and what conditions must be met for trust to take root.

We Do the Groundwork

With direct, on-the-ground engagement, we build presence, familiarity, and relationships to move engagement from transactional to relational.

We Align Priorities

Community priorities and project objectives are brought into coherence - establishing relevance and credibility to show commitments, not just messaging.

We Mobilize for Action

Once aligned, support becomes active - we work with stakeholders to advocate, not just approve.

We Build Trust to Endure

We protect and compound that trust, turning one-time acceptance into enduring reputation advantage.

“This isn’t late-stage PR, it’s early-stage legitimacy, opposition management and reputation stewardship.” 

  • Building legitimacy early — before friction becomes opposition

    We create the conditions for early trust and community understanding. 

    What this includes (examples):

    • Stakeholder mapping and trust landscape analysis 

    • Local presence and relationship-building before announcements 

    • Narrative development tied to community priorities

    • Campaign planning for permitting and tax incentive hearings 

    • Informal briefings and early expectation-setting 

    • Pre-controversy education and context-building 

    • Local voices strategy (who carries the message, not just what it is) 

  • Restoring confidence when credibility is strained 

    We stabilize projects when public skepticism has already become organized resistance. 

    What this includes (examples): 

    • Rapid legitimacy assessment and opposition root-cause analysis 

    • Reopening authentic communication channels 

    • Resetting expectations and reframing tradeoffs 

    • Community repair strategies & conflict de-escalation 

    • Third-party validation / local credibility pathways 

    • Rebuilding narrative trust without inflaming the issue 

  • Converting earned trust into long-term license to operate 

    We ensure that one project’s goodwill becomes future strategic advantage. 

    What this includes (examples): 

    • Long-horizon relationship management 

    • Local goodwill architecture (post-approval, post-construction) 

    • Narrative continuity across future projects / markets 

    • Legitimacy preservation strategies 

    • Building a track record communities remember positively 

    • Reputation as infrastructure — not an afterthought 

Our Services

“Social license now moves faster than development timelines. If trust isn’t earned at the beginning, opposition fills the vacuum - not because people hate growth, but because they feel left out of it.”

  • Crafting the overall narrative and positioning for clients. 

    • Brand strategy and messaging frameworks 

    • Thought leadership development 

    • Executive and spokesperson coaching 

    • Campaign planning and audience mapping 

    • Integrated communication plans (across PR, digital, and marketing) 

  • Building buy-in and strong relationships with key audiences. 

    • Local community relations and outreach campaigns 

    • Stakeholder mapping and engagement plans 

    • Grassroots mobilization and partnerships 

    • Public meetings, workshops, and listening sessions 

    • Philanthropic goodwill campaigns and engagement 

  • Maintaining credibility and responding to issues that could harm a client’s standing. 

    • Crisis communications planning and rapid response 

    • Issues management and scenario planning 

    • Reputational risk assessment 

    • Message discipline under scrutiny 

    • Stakeholder reassurance and trust recovery 

  • Helping clients navigate the policy and regulatory environment. 

    • Advocacy and lobbying support 

    • Policy messaging and positioning 

    • Coalition building and stakeholder outreach 

    • Legislative monitoring and analysis 

    • Regulatory hearings and testimony preparation 

  • Building and protecting reputation through media and public outreach. 

    • Media relations and press outreach 

    • Story development and pitching 

    • Press release writing and distribution 

    • Journalist and influencer engagement 

    • Media training for executives 

  • Managing online presence and shaping digital narratives. 

    • Social media content strategy and publishing 

    • Influencer relations and partnerships 

    • Social listening and sentiment analysis 

    • Paid digital campaigns and audience targeting 

    • Search engine reputation management 

  • Evaluating the impact of communications efforts. 

    • Media monitoring and coverage analysis 

    • Digital and social media performance metrics 

    • Reputation and sentiment tracking 

    • Stakeholder surveys and feedback loops 

    • ROI reporting for campaigns 

We bring an extensive background of experience that allows us to create a strategic approach for each client, project and community that delivers positive outcomes and long-term impact. No project or community is the same, and it takes the right mix of creative and strategic expertise to drive success. Our capabilities that we pull from for each endeavor include:

Core Capabilities

“We don’t just help a project move forward - we protect the ability of a company to return, expand, and be welcomed again.”