Ocean Protein plant wins community relations award
Thursday, March 12, 2009 5:14 PM PDT
The Daily World
Ocean Protein, the Hoquiam-based company that processes waste from Westport fish processing plants, along with Happonen Communications of Seattle, a company hired to do communications work for Ocean Protein, recently received a 2008 Totem award from the Puget Sound chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, recognizing the region’s best public relations work.
“It is such a thrill to gain the recognition of those who know the communications industry best,” said Heidi Happonen, owner of Happonen Communications. “We also loved seeing Grays Harbor getting some attention by some of the top agencies and companies in our state.”
The community relations program developed by Happonen Communications and Ocean Protein sought to share the company’s advances since opening in 2005. Leaders at the fishmeal processing plant recognized that the odor control systems it had originally put in place did not meet their expectations, according to a news release from the communications company, and worked hard to right those missteps over the next several years.
After nearly $5 million of odor control technology investment, the company needed the community to understand that it was improving and that it was committed to all of its neighbors in Grays Harbor County, the news release said.
Prior to its community outreach program, Ocean Protein had collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in nuisance odor fines from the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency.
To better communicate the investments and commitment made by Ocean Protein, the company developed a new Web site, informative video, economic impact study, a scholarship program and media relations program to share its efforts and vision for the community.
The company only logged one nuisance violation from ORCAA last year and was named Hoquiam business of the year for 2008.
“You can work hard to do the right thing, but if no one knows about it, it can seem as if it isn’t happening,” said Aaron Dierks, general manager of Ocean Protein. “The efforts we undertook in 2008 were to share that we not only wanted to make things right for our neighbors but that we were doing everything in our power to put our money where our mouth was.”
Other companies recognized with Totem Awards include Boeing, Microsoft and Vulcan.
