Proof Positive:
Work that works
How’s the thinking? What’s the creative like? Does it get the job done?
Here are just a few of our success stories. And how we made them happen. If you’ve got a specific issue you don’t see represented, contact us. With over four decades of fundraising leadership, we’ve created winning approaches for all kinds of challenges. Maybe one a lot like yours.
Of course, that’s just the jumping-off point. The real answers we’ll find together.
proof positive #2: Government Appropriations
Nearly $5 million in infrastructure funding saves small town businesses from leaving
Opportunity
Of the 1,732 railroad-highway crossings surrounding Chicago, the Grand Avenue intersection in the Village of Franklin Park (population 18,000) was one of the four worst, costing an estimated $800,000 a year in pollution and commuter delays. In addition, the community’s outdated sewer and water-supply system left it prone to flooding. So Franklin Park came to Russ Reid for help in securing funding for an underpass, allowing traffic to move continuously, and a new sewer system that would protect families and businesses from property loss due to flooding.
Approach
Russ Reid’s government relations team approached Congress to secure funding under the Transportation Appropriations Bill; the VA-HUD Appropriations Bill; and the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. The strategy was to highlight the fact that the businesses in Franklin Park represented a large proportion of an otherwise small tax base, and they couldn’t afford to have businesses move elsewhere.
Results
It worked. Congress awarded the Village of Franklin Park the following:
• $1 million for road improvements in Franklin Park and surrounding areas
• $2.9 million for the construction of the Grand Avenue Underpass
• $1 million for wastewater infrastructure improvements