» Monthly Archives: May 2009

Author Andrew Sobel on sustaining valuable client relationships in a recession
By Javon Smith, Division Manager-Midwest, The Saint Consulting Group Andrew Sobel, author of All for One: 10 Strategies for Building Trusted Client Relationships, was guest lecturer last week at an Association of Management Consulting Firms dinner discussion in Chicago -- “Sustaining Valuable Client Relationships in Today’s Environment”. I attended the dinner and have a Q&A below on ...
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Nuclear power fights for share in Obama’s renewable energy, climate change goals
By Ben Kelahan, Senior Vice President for Energy, The Saint Consulting Group Last week, nuclear industry executives and allied interests met in Washington to carve out a role for nuclear power in the U.S. as a stable, base load source of energy generation that is both reliable and "green." Hosting several key Capitol Hill speakers, ...
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Tesco still seeks answers in US, survey shows less optimism than year ago
Tesco has been busy trying to figure out what American consumers want. The company's latest answer is adding about 1,000 new items to shelves of its Fresh & Easy stores. The typical Fresh & Easy currently carries roughly 3,500 items. "This isn't about changing the concept of Fresh & Easy," Jonathan Church, a spokesperson for Tesco, ...
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How does Trump figure out how much he is worth – GAAP aside, the Donald knows
By Steve Shepherd, Vice President for Communications, The Saint Consulting Group How does real estate mogul Donald Trump determine how much money he’s worth?According to depositions Trump gave in his suit against an author, it apparently depends on how he feels at the moment and sometimes involves “mental projections.” Trump is suing the author of ...
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Recession offers landowners ways to add value to future development, but be careful
By Jesse McKnight Executive Vice President, The Saint Consulting Group Recession is a great time to go after development entitlements. Many landowners sit on properties that may have a higher value and better use. In addition, cities and counties are much more receptive to economic development. They need the tax revenue and may be less strident on ...
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Public meetings can hand momentum to opponents, mine developer learns
By Chris Hopkins, Senior Vice President for Aggregates and Mining, The Saint Consulting Group Our first recommendation to any client is to not hold public meetings if at all possible. Our preference is to meet residents one to one and in as small of groups as possible. Why? Because public meetings can go terribly wrong and the media ...
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Waste-to-energy works in Europe and Asia, why not play bigger role in US energy independence?
By Peter Bellomo, SVP Marketing and Business Development, The Saint Consulting Group Congress is currently reviewing pending renewable energy legislation (Waxman bill) that will define among other things the role of energy recovery from waste on the national stage. Today there are as many as 400 waste-to-energy facilities operating in Western Europe and another 325 ...
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Is a competitor backing angry neighbors against your development?
By Patrick Fox, President, The Saint Consulting Group, and staff Are your opponents really just angry neighbors? Is that opposition group with two lawyers, a traffic expert and funds for full page newspaper ads really just a few guys from the neighborhood? Often the neighbors are being enflamed, organized, trained and funded by your ...
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SAINT TIPS to developers — strategic opposition is often invisible, here are some things to look for
By Patrick Fox, President, The Saint Consulting Group, and staff Opponents to development are getting more and more sophisticated. Whether your opponents are neighbors angry or frightened over how your project will impact them or professional organizers paid by your competitors to stir up trouble, they are getting better at using systems and bureaucracy ...
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Wind energy polling dilemma — emotive opponents fly in face of public support
By Ben Kelahan, Senior Vice President, Energy, The Saint Consulting Group Where is the passion in polling? There is none. Polling indicates the public's feelings about a number of various topics on any given day. But it can also be misleading if viewed out of context — especially when it comes to land use issues. How is it, ...
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