Forge & Foundry Strategic

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the country's foremost alternative energy research and development facility, is also a hub for U.S. innovation in sustainable transportation. Despite its world-class R&D, the laboratory had not managed to establish strong recognition in this area. Playing an active role in lab leadership’s development of overall operational strategy, Breitenbach formulated a marketing plan to strengthen brand identity and further progress toward research and funding goals.

As our population ages, effective communication about the full range of resources for seniors and caregivers becomes all the more crucial. Breitenbach's campaigns have included outreach related to diagnostics for dementia, services to help seniors age in place, and the impact of shifting demographic trends,

The Southeast Colorado Business Retention, Expansion & Attraction (SEBREA) program pools the resources of six counties in pursuit of economic growth. While a number of area companies were in the process of expanding or making improvements, this area of the state had also been challenged by business closures and the general economic climate.The business cultivation kit and advertising campaign produced by Breitenbach were used to successfully attract new companies to the region.

When Congress and the National Park Service established a more competitive process for contracts to run hotels, restaurants and stores in national parks, Breitenbach was brought in to ramp up business development strategy. The proposals produced by Breitenbach incorporated destination marketing components, reinforced park identity, and presented compelling differentiators—all leading to the most winning acquisition track record in the industry.

As our population ages, effective communication about the full range of resources for seniors and caregivers becomes all the more crucial. Breitenbach's campaigns have included outreach related to services for seniors, as well as early childhood health, nutrition for at-risk populations, and recruitment of healthcare professionals for rural communities, as well as strategic planning for businesses in the pharmaceutical industry.

Competition for consumers’ leisure time and dollars increases with each new entertainment offering that comes on the market. Cultural organizations need creative, informed and strategic marketing programs to retain and grow their audience share. Breitenbach has spearheaded marketing efforts for visual, performing and literary arts entities in Denver and Philadelphia.

Business development efforts for hotel, store and restaurant operators frequently require strong positioning of plans for remodels, renovations and ground-up facility design and construction. Breitenbach’s enviable contract award ratio has relied heavily on persuasive presentation of architectural initiatives, design-build capabilities and historic preservation qualifications. Her marketing campaigns have delivered strong support and consumer interest for high-profile master-planned communities and landmark civic improvement projects.

An organization's environmental initiatives can have a dramatic impact on funding, partnership cultivation and consumer buying decisions. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the country's only research institution dedicated 100% to innovation in renewable energy and energy efficiency, relied on Breitenbach to raise awareness of its world-class water, wind and sustainable transportation R&D. After being identified as one of the best locations in the country for wind energy, Southeast Colorado engaged Breitenbach to create an economic development campaign to attract companies in the new energy sector. Breitenbach developed materials to promote a hospitality company's green practices to its environmentally-attuned base of customers and clients.

Despite managing 10 National Historic Landmark properties, along with more than 1,200 other historic and nonhistoric structures, minimal documentation existed to record a hotel company’s impressive historic preservation track record. At the same time, the company had received wide recognition for environmentally-friendly operations and decided to extend its green approach to building design and construction. Materials were needed to educate employees, contractors and stakeholders about the new procedures. Breitenbach developed bookend publications for use as training and marketing tools.

Commercial vehicles of all classes and vocations benefit from NREL R&D. Communications convey the value NREL can provide to vehicle and equipment manufacturers in efforts to optimize designs. Campaigns also target another important group of partners, the fleet operators who turn to NREL to pinpoint efficiency and emissions-reduction strategies, as well as to improve operational and bottom-line performance.

While success in the retail, tourism and hospitality sectors relies on a strong customer service ethos and first-rate products, what makes for a truly exceptional visit and cements guest loyalty is the experience. Breitenbach’s leadership of business development for hospitality companies relied heavily on knowledge of what cultural partners could add to the visitor experience. Her work with museums has uncovered ways to translate unique holdings into merchandise and viable new income streams, while extending reach. Through promotion of artist biographies, monographs and coffee table books for some of the country’s foremost publishing houses, Breitenbach has helped get each title in the hands of the right critics, buyers and readers.

Economic fluctuations, shifting workforce needs, changing population demographics and life in the Digital Age all present educational institutions with distinct challenges and opportunities. Marketing strategies must be nimble to attract students and educators in an increasingly competitive climate. Breitenbach has spearheaded efforts to promote programs and resources geared to preschool, secondary, primary, undergraduate, graduate and continuing education audiences.

Annual reports spotlight accomplishments for a broad audience of stakeholders, while acting as important accountability documents. Breitenbach's combination of eyecatching images and impact-focused copy have helped establish organizations' reputations as thought leaders.

A strategic planning process undertaken in 2014 identified a major new growth area for NREL: connected, autonomous and electrified vehicle technologies. Breitenbach worked with researchers to establish and promote the new Sustainable Mobility brand, rapidly solidifying the lab's reputation as a thought leader and go-to resource for R&D in the area.

Even the most successful and well-established organizations sometimes struggle to effectively target growth priorities with communications activities. The new strategic marketing program for the sustainable transportation division of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) gained traction through a focus on authentic differentiation, standout capabilities and research impact. The first step in crafting a plan was to thoroughly assess the existing brand, target audiences and prime competitors. Stakeholder pain points and value propositions were examined for intersection with NREL differentiating capabilities. Results of this goal-aligned strategy were tracked using a range of analytical tools and metrics. Rollout of the new marketing program delivered significant upticks in website traffic, digital media exposure, and coverage by traditional media.

Most rural areas have a shortage of medical practitioners. Often, doctors, nurses and clinicians are hesitant to relocate to small towns and farm communities, thinking these remote locations will adversely affect social lives, income and career advancement. The Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) had met with only modest success helping medical institutions in their staffing efforts. Breitenbach was engaged to produce a recruitment tool with the power to trigger interest from a larger pool of viable candidates.

NREL not only conducts research to improve the performance of commercial highway vehicles, it is also working with ports to make drayage operations more efficient and examining the intersection between freight transportation modes. Breitenbach's communications have raised awareness of this body of research, as well as promoted environmental management efforts related to five marinas at inland and coastal locations.

NREL and its partners work in collaboration to answer two primary questions: How can improved fuel chemistry lead to more efficient engine performance? And how can better engine design most effectively leverage fuel properties? Breitenbach's communications illustrate how the lab's R&D bridges fundamental chemical kinetics and applied engine research to maximize performance, efficiency, reliability, affordability and consumer appeal.

Faced for the first time with a formal competitive funding scenario, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) called on Breitenbach to help navigate a complex and rapid proposal development process. As a major player in the operation of shops and foodservice facilities at zoos, botanic gardens and aquariums began a transition in leadership, it set ambitious goals for increasing contract holdings and revenues, and looked to Breitenbach for strategic support. A graphics firm had established a solid reputation as a supplier of promotional wraps for fleet vehicles, but engaged Breitenbach to more aggressively pursue new business with major soft drink and alcoholic beverage manufacturers.

Philadelphia’s curbside recycling collection program was one of the first in the U.S. Launching a recycling initiative in the nation’s fifth-largest city required a fine-tuned marketing plan. Breitenbach was responsible for educating Philadelphia residents about the relatively new concept of recycling and encouraging participation.

With publishers releasing thousands of books every fall and spring, bookstore owners, library purchasing agents and consumers are presented with a dizzying array of choices. Targeted marketing is necessary to get each title in the hands of the right critics, buyers and readers. Breitenbach has promoted books for some of the country’s foremost publishing houses, garnering coverage from national outlets including the New York Times Book Review, New York Review of Books and Publishers’ Weekly. In addition, she has successfully pitched authors as expert commentators and subjects of feature profiles, and secured television and radio interviews.