McPhilimy Associates gets great ink for HVAC firm

Situation
Team Mechanical Inc. was working on a breakthrough project using the Chicago River as a natural cooling source for the Prudential Building and hoped to get the word out fast.  TMI had successfully worked with McPhilimy Associates in the past and wanted to use public relations as a tool to promote its cooling project for MCI WorldCom’s telecommunications switch-facility.

Solution
McPhilimy Associates worked with TMI to position President Rick Bartuska as an HVAC expert and industry leader by writing a bylined article for him about the MCI project.  McPhilimy Associates targeted leading HVAC industry magazines for placement of the bylined article.  

Bylined articles are powerful PR tools because:

• They establish brand recognition by placing key names in front of potential customers.
• They increase recognition of an organization by positioning company leaders as experts.
• They serve as excellent marketing tools to attract new business.

McPhilimy Associates' steps in placing the TMI bylined article:

•  Interviewing Rick Bartuska to better understand the MCI project and TMI’s innovative approach.

• Writing the six-page bylined article in the voice of Rick Bartuska.

• Pitching the bylined article to several industry-related publications including Engineered Systems, the leading magazine in the HVAC industry.

Results
The MCI Worldcom article was a huge success for TMI, and McPhilimy Associates is currently writing a follow-up piece to the MCI article.  The bylined article reached a target audience of more than 155,000 readers and potential clients.  In addition, Engineered Systems was so impressed with the article that it continues to rely on Rick Bartuska as a valuable resource for other articles.  Due to the article’s success, TMI continues to receive positive recognition for innovation and creativity as the leader in the HVAC community.  Presently, the article serves as a valuable marketing tool used by TMI to promote the company and raise positive awareness about TMI throughout Chicago area.