CLIENT: North Memorial Healthcare
Overview:
During Minnesota’s 2005 Legislative Session, North Memorial Healthcare sought a legislative exemption to Minnesota’s hospital moratorium so they could build a hospital in the city of Maple Grove. For the first time in recent history, more than one provider sought the same exemption. This created a highly competitive environment in Maple Grove, its surrounding communities and the legislature.
North Memorial Healthcare retained Cook Hill Girard Associates to direct their government affairs effort seeking the exemption to the hospital moratorium. Services provided by Cook Hill Girard Associates included lobbying members of the Maple Grove City Council, the legislature and the executive branch. Cook Hill Girard Associates also designed, implemented and managed the organization’s grassroots campaign.
The goal of the grassroots campaign was to encourage Maple Grove City Council members and the Maple Grove legislative delegation to publicly support North Memorial Healthcare’s proposal over that of their competitors. In addition, for the legislature to adopt legislation granting North Memorial Healthcare the opportunity to develop a new hospital in Maple Grove.
During the 2005 Legislative Session, the Minnesota House of Representatives adopted legislation supported by North Memorial Healthcare. The issue currently remains in a legislative conference committee that has until the end of the 2006 Regular Session to reach a decision. North Memorial Healthcare’s grassroots campaign was successful in gaining the public support of both Maple Grove House Members who introduced and worked on behalf of North Memorials Healthcare’s legislative request. North Memorial Healthcare’s legislative proposal also received the public support of the Mayor of Maple Grove; and numerous city councils, mayors, legislators and community groups in the western and northwestern suburbs of the Twin Cities.
The support of North Memorial’s efforts can be attributed to many of the following grassroots activities conducted by Cook Hill Girard Associates:
Cook Hill Girard Associates designed, managed and implemented an individualized letter writing campaign. The campaign generated over 2,300 personalized contacts to members of the Minnesota Legislature during a two week period of time. To achieve North Memorial Healthcare’s goal of personalized contacts, Cook Hill Girard Associates established and manned a letter writing desk on the hospitals Robbinsdale campus and conducted letter writing sessions at a variety of times to maximize its efforts.
Cook Hill Girard Associates designed, managed and helped to implement a door-to-door petition drive in the City of Maple Grove and surrounding communities. The campaign gathered more than 10,500 signatures in support of North Memorial Healthcare’s legislative proposal over a four day period of time. Cook Hill Girard Associates created the campaign, helped train and organize volunteers, mapped out neighborhoods for activity and helped to secure business locations for volunteer activity.
Following the petition drive, Cook Hill Girard Associates designed and assisted in the management of a press conference/rally in the Rotunda of the State Capitol. The event helped focus North’s legislative supporters on the need for action during the 2005 Legislative Session. It also allowed North Memorial Healthcare to demonstrate to opponents and undecided the overwhelming level of support in the community for their proposal.
CLIENT: United States Chamber of Commerce & Kraft Foods
Overview:
In 2005, the Central America and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement was a piece of legislation before both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Both bodies successfully adopted this legislation following months of negotiations and critical involvement of the White House and key trade allies.
The United States Chamber of Commerce and Kraft Foods retained Cook Hill Girard Associates to design, implement and manage a grassroots campaign targeting Minnesota’s business and agricultural interests. Minnesota presented a unique challenge with major disagreements on the proposal between the local sugar industry who opposed CAFTA and other commodity and agricultural organizations who supported the free trade proposal.
Cook Hill Girard Associates was tasked with building coalitions to support the free trade agreement. Cook Hill Girard Associates worked with coalition members to set meetings, write letters and place phone calls to targeted members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation urging the passage of CAFTA.
The following grassroots activities conducted by Cook Hill Girard Associates helped to encourage Senator Coleman and Congressman Kennedy to support the adoption of CAFTA. Their votes proved critical to a successful outcome on the legislation.
• Cook Hill Girard Associates designed, managed and implemented an individualized letter writing campaign which generated dozens of personalized contacts to members of the Minnesota congressional delegation over a three month period of time. To achieve our goal of personalized letters Cook Hill Girard Associates designed and distributed an easy to use letter template and talking points to be used by coalition members.
• Cook Hill Girard Associates conducted one-on-one educational briefings and large organizational workshops on the benefits of passing CAFTA. As part of the workshops, Cook Hill Girard Associates coordinated all relevant handouts and leave behind materials.
• Cook Hill Girard Associates coordinated meetings in both Washington, D.C. and congressional districts with coalition members and members of Congress. Our outreach effort was intended to educate congressional staff members, put a face with the issue and to be a resource for supportive organizations.
CLIENT: Minnesota Soybean Promotion Council & Minnesota Livestock Coalition
Overview:
The Minnesota Soybean Promotion Council retained Cook Hill Girard Associates to design, implement and manage a grassroots campaign aimed at educating, recruiting and mobilizing citizens and non-traditional organizations to promote the benefits of Minnesota’s livestock industry.
When Cook Hill Girard Associates was retained by the Minnesota Soybean Promotion Council the organization sought to build a network of supporters who could address the benefits to the Minnesota economy from the livestock industry. The Minnesota Soybean Council was concerned any further deterioration of the livestock industry would result in an even greater reduction of purchases by their largest domestic customer group. An interesting aspect of this campaign was the need to build a network of promoters, not for the soybean farmers, but for the livestock industry.
The growth of the Minnesota Livestock Coalition and their increased public presence can be directly attributed to many of the following grassroots activities conducted by Cook Hill Girard Associates:
• Cook Hill Girard Associates designed, managed and implemented an aggressive recruitment campaign for the Minnesota Livestock Coalition. Today the coalition has 550 members who have agreed to attend and testify before public meetings of local townships and county boards, write letters to elected officials and local newspapers, participate in call-in radio shows and report activity occurring at the local level.
• Cook Hill Girard Associates has conducted hundreds of one-on-one educational meetings and large organizational workshops highlighting the benefits of Minnesota’s livestock industry. Cook Hill Girard Associates has introduced the coalition to local chambers of commerce, commodity groups and corporate entities seeking their involvement and support. We have staffed booths at Farm Fest, the Minnesota Beef, Pork and Dairy Expos and the Minnesota Turkey Grower’s Association educating and recruiting supporters. Cook Hill Girard Associates has coordinated all handouts and leave behind materials for these presentations.
• Cook Hill Girard Associates coordinated a letter-to-the-editor campaign placing in Minnesota’s Agri News and several Southern Minnesota newspapers a coordinated pro-livestock message.