Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Industry: Sports
Practice Area: Issue Management
Challenge: After the disappointing departure of the Albuquerque Dukes baseball team, a longstanding feeder team for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a community team was developed to attract a new AAA baseball franchise. The organization, Backin’ Baseball, leveraged assistance from Tom Garrity to develop a public relations campaign to support the creation of a new ballpark, key to attracting a new baseball franchise.
Approach: To raise awareness of the need for a new baseball stadium, Tom and his team developed messages, interfaced with the news media and promoted the initiatives that would result in the building of a new stadium. Based on community research, the team developed messages and used media outlets that would reach the target audiences: the voters of an upcoming bond election to fund construction of a new stadium.
Results: The measure passed, resulting in construction of what would become Isotopes Park, the new Triple-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2003, over 12,000 fans enthusiastically welcomed the return of professional baseball to Albuquerque during the first game at the ballpark now dubbed “The Lab.”