What's New - Solem & Associates Public Relations Agency

Public Affairs Activities

Mayor Newsom demonstrated clean diesel emissions.

Solem & Associates' client work covers the spectrum of California public affairs activity. Our newest work involves reducing diesel exhaust pollution from California trucks and buses, land use projects in San Francisco, Oakland and Contra Costa, and several transportation issues. Last year we provided communications strategy, media relations and other services for the 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference, the biggest earthquake conference ever held, on the centennial of San Francisco's 1906 earthquake and fire.

Willie Mays and Director of Aging Anne Hinton at media event.

Other recent work includes media relations for the Institute on Aging’s launch of its new senior center at an event featuring baseball great Willie Mays, the groundbreaking ceremony for improvements to Interstate 580, the Bay Area’s most congested freeway, and holiday toy programs for Metrolink, the Southern California commuter rail system, and the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians.

For the United Nations World Environment Day conference in San Francisco in 2005, we provided media and other communications services on behalf of the city and the UN Environmental Program.

Also, Solem & Associates helped introduce a new liquefied natural gas project to California, managed logistics and communications for the official announcement and community celebration when a controversial power plant was shut down, successfully represented a high tech company in a major procurement issue, helped implement new ordinances on high-rise fire safety in two cities, and provided public opinion research for cities throughout the Bay Area in advance of bond or infrastructure development decisions. Also, Solem & Associates is the first public relations firm officially named a "Green Business" by the San Francisco Environment Department. And in October 2006, President Don Solem was honored by the Irish-Israeli-Italian Society for outstanding community service.

Among our other recent public affairs work:

Solem & Associates provides communications and media services to Cleaire Advanced Emission Controls, which designs, manufactures and installs diesel exhaust filters for in-use vehicles. The filters help fleet owners meet California Air Resources Board requirements to reduce emission of toxic particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Solem created a well-covered media event on Treasure Island in September 2006 to celebrate the near-completion of the Clean Diesel Bus Program, which is installing diesel exhaust filters on 1,700 buses for 13 transit districts in the Bay Area. The event featured San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Metropolitan Transportation Commission Chair Jon Rubin, and Bay Area Air Quality Management District Executive Officer Jack Broadbent. Solem also organized media events for San Joaquin Valley school districts that are retrofitting their school buses with Cleaire’s exhaust purifiers.

Solem & Associates provided communications strategy, media relations and public policy for the 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference in San Francisco April 18-21, 2006. It was the science, engineering, and policy focus of the centennial of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. Solem brought policy leaders to the conference including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, former FEMA director James Lee Witt, two U.S. Cabinet members, and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Solem generated world-wide media coverage when the conference released a new report assessing the destruction a 1906-size earthquake would cause today. In addition, Solem produced a 14-minute film that was shown to start the conference, given to each conference attendee, and distributed to Bay Area libraries, science teachers, community organizations, and government agencies.

Nielsen Media's People Meters
Solem & Associates provided advocacy, media relations and community outreach for Nielsen Media Research's introduction of “local people meters” to replace diaries for measuring TV viewership. In 2004, before the new meters were introduced in the Bay Area, Solem conducted demonstrations of the new meters and presentations on Nielsen's methodology and safeguards to ensure that everyone is counted. The result was clear coverage in mainstream and ethnic media and a successful rollout. Solem continued to represent Nielsen as the meters were introduced in other cities, raising the company's profile in ethnic communities. In June 2005 Solem arranged for a Nielsen spokesperson to appear on KGO radio's Ronn Owens Show for an hour-long segment on people meters and TV ratings.

Bay Area's First 'Smart Carpool' Toll Lane

Solem provided media, messaging and outreach services for the Interstate 680 Smart Carpool Lane Project, the first toll lane project in Northern California. The project will give solo drivers on I-680 the opportunity to pay a toll electronically to use a 14-mile stretch of the southbound carpool lane while carpoolers continue to use the lane for free. Over a three-week period of Fall 2005, Solem placed articles in 11 Bay Area newspapers and generated coverage on six local television stations in English and Spanish about the project. Solem and its partner firms also created an interactive project website, developed marketing material, and conducted the first public meeting to inform residents and drivers on details of the Smart Lane project.

In October 2006, Solem & Associates conceived a celebration marking the 100 millionth rider of Metrolink, the Southern California commuter rail system. As a result of higher ridership, Metrolink reached the benchmark earlier than anticipated, on its 14th birthday. The event at Metrolink's Anaheim station attracted wide TV, radio and newspaper coverage in English and Spanish, and provided Metrolink a positive platform for its message of safety and reliability. The 100 millionth rider, Disneyland employee Andrew Sanchez, won a four-day trip for two to Baja Mexico.