GOVERNMENT/PUBLIC RELATIONS CASE STUDY
"Every Step of the Way"

Welch Products of Carlisle, Iowa, knew it had an all-in-one solution for public entities looking to recycle waste tires, create jobs and reduce playground injuries.  The challenge was to get Iowa officials to consider and fund Welch's plan, developed in conjunction with the National Program for
Playground Safety, to convert recycled tires into playground safety tiles.

That's where The Concept Works came in.

Welch's management team hired The Concept Works and our strategic partner, Blue Sky Alliances, in late 2002 to encourage members of the Iowa General Assembly to support the plan, called the Iowa Safe Surfacing
Initiative.

After months of determined lobbying and despite an extremely difficult budget year, legislators and the governor recognized the value of a great idea.  They appropriated $500,000 for the Iowa Safe Surfacing Initiative as a
demonstration project in the fiscal year that began July 1, 2003.

The Concept Works team didn't stop there.  We provided the event planning and public relations services that the Iowa Safe Surfacing Initiative needed as more than a dozen playgrounds were completed and put into operation
across the state.  We also developed the materials necessary for Welch Products to win recognition as a 2003 Better Business Bureau Integrity Award winner.

Welch Products isn't about to rest on its laurels.  Its executive leadership is committed to creating more public-sector markets at the municipal, county, multi-state and federal levels.  The Concept Works team will continue to be
with them and give them a winning edge by providing government, public and media relations services every step of the way.