Celebrating Community Success and Engaging Partners in FreshLo Hub

Project Duration

March 2023

Learn more about our relationship with Montbello Organizing Committee.

GHG Services Utilized

Media Relations and Earned Media
Strategic Communications
Integrated Marketing
Branding and Graphic Design
Messaging and Storytelling
Multilingual and Multicultural Communications
Event Planning

The Challenge

After years of raising funds and planning, Montbello Organizing Committee (MOC) was breaking ground on the first phase of the FreshLo Hub, a six-story building that would house 97 units of affordable housing, as well as a mental health center and a business incubator for local entrepreneurs. It was important that the community be part of the groundbreaking phase as this was a community-inspired and -driven initiative that many had contributed to. It was also important to engage the community and partners because the building itself would take approximately 18 months to complete. MOC also sought to capture the attention of funders as additional funding was needed to complete phase 1, as well as phases 2 and 3 (a nonprofit grocery store and a cultural arts education center).

GHG Approach

In collaboration with the MOC team, GHG created a joint community groundbreaking and press event. Local dignitaries, including the Mayor of Denver, and key contributors were invited to speak. The dirt lot was set up in an inviting fashion with tents, chairs, tables, audio and festive signage. A photo opportunity site was staged with logoed hard hats, shovels and a large pile of dirt. Fact sheets in both English and Spanish were created. Large scale architectural renditions of the completed building were set up strategically around the site. Community members who had been involved and/or hoped to live in the building once completed were identified and coached for possible interviews. Special invitations were issued to partners, community organizations and potential funders and a press advisory was issued to all local media.

The Results

Hundreds of community members, partners, funders, staff and local dignitaries attended the groundbreaking event
Four Denver television stations attended the event as well as KOA Radio and the Denverite
23 television segments aired in Denver and Grand Junction resulting in 459,000 impressions. Three stations also posted web stories that were picked up by national news outlets
KOA Radio aired 4 segments during morning drive, with a potential reach of nearly 500,000, and posted an online story
Denverite, the Denver Business Journal, the City of Denver and Connect CRE (real estate journal) posted online stories
A post-groundbreaking ceremony release was issued via a national news wire, leading to placements in 148 publications/websites with a combined actualized reach of 109,645,149. Because many potential funders are located in other states, it was important to secure coverage outside of Colorado

Media Mentions

CBS Colorado: Montbello FreshLo Hub groundbreaking. March 2, 2023
Denver7: Montbello FreshLo Hub groundbreaking. March 2, 2023
Fox31: Montbello FreshLo Hub groundbreaking. March 2, 2023
KOA News Radio: Montbello FreshLo Hub groundbreaking. March 3, 2023
Denverite: Despite ‘challenges along the way,’ Montbello’s FreshLo Hub finally broke ground. March 2, 2023
Denver Business Journal: $85 million community-led development breaks ground in Montbello. March 3, 2023