WHAT WE'VE DONE

The Atlanta Olympics Bid Controversy

In early 1999, as the Salt Lake City Olympics scandal materialized, the news media quickly swooped into Atlanta and began searching for a similar Olympics bid fiasco. Atlanta Olympics chief Billy Payne, along with bid team member Horace Sibley, hired The Echols Group to develop a damage control strategy, contain the escalating media scrutiny and spearhead all media relations and issues management activities. This program continued until the fall of 2000, when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an eight-part series on Atlanta's Olympics bid effort.

The Echols Group successfully directed a difficult relationship with the Atlanta newspapers, isolated the story for 18 months and prevented any substantial national or international media coverage, focused specific messages to wire services to enhance positive stories, and provided intense and consistent issues management and media counsel to Billy Payne and the Atlanta Olympics bid team... Judge Griffin Bell and attorney Joe Bankoff at King & Spalding in Atlanta... and a handful of prominent Atlanta business and community leaders.

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce

When the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce found itself without a vice president of communications, it hired The Echols Group to coordinate the ongoing communications activities, manage the communications staff and build a strategy for several key Chamber business initiatives. The Echols Group successfully managed this effort for five months and helped the Chamber maintain and strengthen its visibility position.

The Echols Group led advertising and promotional activities for the Industries of the Mind project, a major push to recruit both high tech companies and high tech professionals to the Atlanta region, as well as: Supervised the build-out of atlantasmartcity.com and the renovation of metroatlantachamber.com; and provided a wide range of issues and communications counsel to Chamber executives and staff.

Northside Hospital in Atlanta

The Echols Group regularly works with Northside Hospital on numerous health care and marketplace image issues. For example, it developed a comprehensive positioning strategy and program for Northside Hospital's acquisition of Baptist Medical Center in Forsyth County, Georgia. A major competitor fought long and hard to derail the acquisition, and much of The Echols Group's program focused on keeping Northside Hospital above the fray hoped for by the other hospital. The grass roots and news media components were successful, and Northside Hospital completed its acquisition and has expanded its operations on the Forsyth County campus.

Ambassador Andrew Young

For nearly 20 years, Lee Echols worked with Ambassador Andrew Young as a spokesperson and communications adviser, beginning during the Ambassador's final months as Atlanta's mayor and his subsequent campaign to be Georgia's governor. During that campaign, Echols served as press secretary and worked in tandem with media consultant Frank Greer and pollster Stan Greenberg, who later played key roles in the election of Bill Clinton to the White House. Since then, Echols served in numerous capacities for Ambassador Young, including: news media manager during the 1996 Olympic Games; op-ed and white paper writer; news conference coordinator; and public issues adviser.

Georgia State University College of Law

This burgeoning law school initially retained The Echols Group to determine its marketing and communications needs, and how to better promote its distinguished faculty and programs. Echols designed and conducted a communications and visibility assessment that laid out a detailed path and recapped and analyzed the college's track record - both with an eye towards the looming 25th anniversary year. The college also worked with Echols to develop a comprehensive public awareness program for the 25th anniversary that included key message development, video production and editorial board sessions.

Palmetto Dunes at Hilton Head Island

Greenwood Development Corporation, a leading South Carolina-based resort developer, has worked with The Echols Group on many issues related to property owner relations and community outreach activities. One of its most prestigious developments is Palmetto Dunes Resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, which had been the subject of long-simmering issues between Greenwood Development and the resort's property owners association. The Echols Group created a series of initiatives - key message platforms, property owner surveys, newsletter, media relations plan - that opened up a public dialogue and helped lead to the eventual transfer of property maintenance responsibilities to the property owners.