11 PR Lessons for Entrepreneurs From a $400 Million Dam Project
Begin with the end in mind
For seven years, I led community relations for one of the nation’s largest infrastructure projects (that happened to be located just 25 minutes from my home). The $400-million, seven-year Boone Dam project brought in talent from around the world with one common goal: to repair a leaking dam safely.
The following PR tips I picked up from the project are applicable to businesses, PR people and entrepreneurs alike.
Project Background
In October 2014, a sinkhole was discovered in the parking lot of the dam’s control building. A short time later, a dam safety inspector noticed a muddy seep at the base of the earthen embankment. Those two issues together meant possible internal erosion — the number two cause of dam failure in the world. Dye testing indicated there was a direct pathway from the reservoir above to the river below. There was no time to waste in securing the dam and ensuring the safety of the people downstream. The reservoir above the dam was lowered approximately ten feet below its normal winter pool level. Once the water was lowered, the pressure on the embankment was removed, the seepage stopped, and the lake community outcry began.
“Begin with the end in mind” — Stephen Covey
I began with a vision that helped me persist through the project’s many communications challenges. As a part of the visioning process, I posted a background photo on my computer as a screen saver. It was the fall of 2021, prior to the project’s May 2022 final celebration and conclusion. It was a photo of the public beach area at the dam with children laughing and people frolicking on the lake on a sunny July day in 2014. I focused on that scene as one we would aim to achieve again, with a safely repaired dam, in the summer of 2022.
It had been a journey and a half full of learning.
1. In a crisis, prepare to work in real-time
When the internal erosion issue was discovered at the dam, the immediate reaction was to kick into crisis communications mode. Dam failure was not an option. Once the reservoir above the dam was lowered to take the pressure off the earthen embankment above the dam, the work began in earnest. On a project of this magnitude, the clock is ticking. There was even a countdown clock (think NASA here) in the main conference room. Every day, project leaders looked at a red digital reminder of their ultimate time goal: to get the project completed safely within the five-to-seven-year timeframe, an expectation that was shared with the public. The bar was set, and now the challenge lay ahead: managing expectations!
2. Write a Plan, Work Your Plan, then Adapt
In terms of communications, I started with an outline of a plan.
From there, I expanded it and prepared and updated the plan each year. In the short term, I used the “R-PIE” process I learned in my accreditation studies: Research, Plan, Implementation, and Evaluation. That simple process, along with the “10-Step PR Plan” by Ferne Bonomi, served as guideposts on the infrastructure PR Journey.
3. Be Confident
One question I heard most often was posed to our project manager by the media and others: “Are you confident this proposed fix is going to work?”
The answer was always a resounding “Absolutely!”
The project manager must express utter confidence in the fix laid out before the public, as he/she is the lead spokesperson or “subject matter expert” (SME) for the project. In some ways, the SME is like an NFL quarterback. A calm, quiet attitude serves him or her well in the long run. Our project manager was also known to bring takeout to his hotel room rather than endure the barrage of questions from local restaurant patrons!
4. Build a Model
The project could be a challenge to explain in words. One of my early communications “dreams” became reality with the creation of a 3D-model tabletop dam. A specialized team constructed the dam using LIDAR data and 3D printing. The tabletop dam was built like a puzzle. The earthen embankment portion of the dam was the puzzle piece, exposing the underground cutoff wall when removed.
Children of all ages loved the model dam. Its high-level view of the lake above and river below gave them an immediate understanding of the project.
5. Be strategic
As a PR pro, it is important to gain the trust and confidence of the project leads. One simple way to do this is to keep their confidence.
Once they saw my work and I gained their trust, the project team requested I take a “seat at the table.” Participating in weekly management meetings is key to the communicator’s understanding of the project. I used to say their weekly strategy sessions were the only times I saw the “sausage being made.”
The main team would never speak that openly in front of the contract construction crew. Sitting with the team and listening in, the communicator is privy to the inner sanctum. This enables the communicator to forecast potential communication hurdles the technicians might not otherwise see.
6. Partners and social media
The media would frequently grab photos and videos directly from our Twitter feed and use them on the local nightly news. The best part from a PR pro’s standpoint is that we created the content. (Our Twitter feed, @BooneRepair, was deleted after the project’s completion.)
One thing I discovered six years into the project was the power of “amplification.” I would define “amplification” as key influencers and thought leaders (think powerful politicians and their social media teams) picking up our messaging and retweeting it. (In 2022, Twitter was the social channel of choice for many of the major politicians because it was so easy to use and to retweet.)
With timing and messaging planned well in advance, a message can gain strength and be amplified many times over. Social media becomes a well-choreographed “echo chamber.” The constantly watched and measured data and analytics reflect positive numbers for all as a result of that amplification.
7. Everyone is an “expert”
Once you establish a public-facing email system for the project, you will receive “fixes” from many “armchair quarterbacks.” They may or may not have an engineering degree, but they will tell you how to fix your infrastructure issue! Just be prepared with polite acknowledgments. We received so many similar comments on our public-facing email system that we were able to group them together to create fairly standard answers in an “FAQ” (Frequently Asked Questions) type format.
8. Support Diverse “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Camps
One of the best outreach events I recall from my time on the project was a STEM camp geared toward diverse high schoolers. Students who might not otherwise have been exposed to STEM and its associated careers had the opportunity to spend the month of June living in a college dormitory and learning from experts in the field from a variety of companies.
Each week, a different area employer offered a look into STEM careers, from health to manufacturing. Each company sponsored a week of activities for the participants. Students even learned to throw ancient spears on the college athletic field! One of the students’ favorites was the day they were able to wade into a river with a team of fisheries biologists to gently “stun,” hold, examine and measure a variety of fish. What a thrill it is to see young people, who likely never had the opportunity to examine “river critters” up close, find themselves falling in love with biology!
9. Scan the Environment
A key term I learned in MBA school was “environmental scanning.” It means keeping your eyes open to trends and patterns that can impact your project from either outside or inside your company. In our case, as a result of environmental scanning, the issue of vegetation management rose to the forefront. From taking part in the community and neighborhood association meetings, we were able to foresee the issue.
10. Hold Fast to Ethical Principles
During the project, we were not allowed to accept any gift worth more than $25. I recall once having a question and asking our project manager about it. A contact from a charitable organization wanted to give us a cooler, which was definitely worth more than $25. “If you have to ask the question,” our PM said. “Then you already know the answer.” This is outstanding advice when it comes to ethics. Needless to say, I politely turned down the cooler.
The study and practice of ethics are ingrained in the Public Relations Society of America’s accreditation process. I can still recite them: “Advocacy, Honesty, Expertise, Independence, Loyalty and Fairness.”
11. Tracking Progress
One of the handiest tools I used on the project was a simple Excel spreadsheet that I updated prior to the weekly, and later biweekly, managers’ meetings. The spreadsheet enabled me to track ongoing projects along with due dates and who was responsible for those actions. I color-coded it with what was coming up and what was complete. This simple tool was a great way to keep the project manager updated on all the community relations activities for the project.
The project did end safely, on time and under budget. It won several international awards that included community relations as a component. A public celebration was held on May 25, 2022 — the day children and adults once again began frolicking in the lake at the Boone Dam recreational area after a seven-year hiatus.
Mary Ellen Miller, APR, holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Cornell University and an MBA from East Tennessee State University. She is accredited in public relations and has worked in the profession for more than 30 years.
Her debut book, “Fill the Dam Thing Up! Building Connections: Communicating Throughout the Lifecycle of Infrastructure Projects” provides useful tips for communicators and project managers working on major infrastructure projects.
