KC Harvey Environmental has a long history of supporting its clients with a wide range of traditional environmental science and engineering services, including permitting, resource management, and land reclamation. Now, we are pleased to announce that KC Harvey additionally provides community/landowner relation services. This skillset fits perfectly into our company mission to solve problems and deliver world-class planning to exceed clients’ expectations. Community relations is emerging as an increasingly important part of project planning. Poor community relations management can seriously impact a project’s schedule and lead to unwanted fees or ongoing legal battles. Mismanagement of community relations can also negatively impact a company’s reputation and social license to operate in an area. Landowners and community members know their rights and are not afraid to stand up for themselves if they perceive that they are being mistreated. Engaging early and frequently with these stakeholders in a way that meets their needs can help prevent unnecessary obstacles and lead to mutually beneficial project planning.
Our community relations expert, Rachel Schmidt, comes to us with six years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Rachel was an environmental and regulatory professional for ExxonMobil, with most of her time spent in Alaska supporting the multi-billion dollar Point Thomson Project. It was on this project that she gained incredible community relations experience through working with a vast range of stakeholders, particularly Native communities. She received rigorous top notch training through ExxonMobil which she applied as the lead of the Point Thomson Project’s community relations program. The program was ultimately a success, and the project is about to begin production. Rachel now lives in Bozeman, Montana, and is working with KC Harvey to provide this valuable skill to our mining, oil and gas, and other clients. Although most of her capabilities were developed in Alaska, the skillset and experience is transferrable and applicable to projects in the Lower 48.
Some specific services we offer include:
- Developing customized community/landowner relations plans
- Organizing and hosting community meetings
- Addressing community questions and concerns
- Incorporating results of stakeholder engagement into project plans
- Identifying and meeting with community leaders
- Promoting positive company reputation
If you see a need for community or landowner relations management in your project or company, please contact us, and we would be thrilled to help develop sustainable management plans that work for you and your local communities.