Situation
California-based real estate developer OliverMcMillan was beginning work in the Chicagoland area, turning an historic Air Force base located in Glenview, Ill., into the centerpiece of a new mixed-use development center. Recognizing the importance of connecting with the community it would be entering, OliverMcMillan turned to McPhilimy Associates.

Solution
The first step McPhilimy Associates took was making its client available to the local press. After conducting spokesperson coaching sessions with OliverMcMillan's CEO, preparing the Californian for his interviews with the Chicago media, McPhilimy Associates developed a regular series of releases. Providing a steady stream of information to the local press, the firm gave local residents a look at the project before its completion. 

To further attract attention to the center, McPhilimy Associates coordinated tours of the construction area with publications such as Chicago Magazine and the Pioneer Press, using comprehensive local coverage to communicate with the entire community. From a groundbreaking ceremony that was attended by Crain's Chicago Business, Pioneer Press, the Evanston Journal and Real Estate Chicago, along with Glenview's mayor, to OliverMcMillan's CEO conducting interviews with the Chicago Tribune and Crain's Chicago Business, stories on the center appeared regularly in the area's major publications during the construction. 

McPhilimy Associates succeeded in forging strong relationships with the suburban press, building confidence in the areas that would be living and shopping firsthand at the new center. The result: Regular coverage with the leading local media such as Pioneer Press and the Daily Herald.

McPhilimy Associates' steps in creating a warm welcome for OliverMcMillan's in Chicago: 

• Conducted media-training with OliverMcMillan's CEO, preparing the out-of-towner for visits and interviews with the media. 
• Opened the center up to media tours during construction, coordinating visits with the local media and heads at OliverMcMillan during visits from California.
• Generated awareness of center by holding a groundbreaking ceremony.

Results
In six months alone, McPhilimy Associates generated a wealth of clips in the local trades and major Chicago publications, garnering attention with the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and Crain's Chicago Business, among others, and creating more than 9,500,000 media impressions. In the end, the center enjoyed widespread attention throughout the Windy City, leading to the signing of tenants; the leasing and sale of apartments, condos and homes; and a successful grand opening. As OliverMcMillan put it, McPhilimy Associates' "creativity, due diligence and tenacity [were] remarkable."