Redfield Site — Brown Shoe Company

Ongoing environmental monitoring at the former Redfield Rifle Scope Manufacturing facility in southeast Denver showed that groundwater contaminated with cleaning solvents was flowing from the plant property into the homes of adjacent neighbors. A comprehensive remediation program was implemented in the surrounding neighborhood involving nearly 700 homes with indoor air ventilation systems installed in 400. The issue culminated in a class-action lawsuit.

Brown retained Sigler Communications to develop and implement a proactive communications strategy and community relations program. We served as the daily interface for neighbors, elected officials, and news media for 18 years. We conducted one-on-one interviews with community members, briefed elected officials and leaders of two neighborhood homeowners' associations, maintained a hotline and website, and planned and conducted 30 public/community meetings and briefings, fielding more than 5,000 phone calls from residents and other concerned stakeholders.

Brown successfully completed its remediation efforts in the homes and continues to address on-site cleanup. The communications efforts played a major role in a jury verdict rendered of approximately $1 million for non-economic damages versus the $450 million requested by the plaintiffs. Through proactive community relations, the neighborhoods surrounding the Redfield site were not stigmatized as a "contamination zone" and homes continue to sell at or above asking prices.