Latest news with #BurchPartners
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
PR firm reveals plan to revamp city of Howell, Michigan's image
Months after being hired by the city of Howell to help improve its image, Michigan-based public relations firm Burch Partners says it is working to tell the city's story better. "My work is very much behind the scenes," said Brian Burch, the firm's managing partner. "The great people are the story here. The great business owners, the great families, the great history that have done to make our community a better place. That's the story." The city announced in December 2024 that it would hire a public relations firm to revamp the area's reputation after reported incidents of racism and homophobia. Past reporting shed light on a troubled history in Howell, including a period in the '70s when Ku Klux Klan gatherings were allegedly held on the farm of KKK Grand Dragon Robert E. Miles, who, according to reports, held white supremacist rallies and was also sentenced for a school bus bombing. In November, there were reports of a Neo-Nazi demonstration outside a performance of the play The Diary of Anne Frank. During the hunt for a PR firm to help, the city experienced another racist incident with another reported Nazi demonstration, this time outside of the Historic Howell Theater. The firm was hired in March 2025. "We're not rehabbing anything; what we're doing is we're telling Howell's story as it actually is," Burch said. When asked how the last couple of incidents fit into that story, Burch said, "It doesn't fit in. Things that fit in are kind of the great communities, the safe streets, the amazingly responsible police department. I don't believe that a few bad actors from out of town can change that." Burch said his work centers around highlighting events happening in the city, new projects like the Depot Lot Expansion, and the community's natural areas. "I think the story is showing people how great we live," he said. Meanwhile, some Howell residents say they were happy to hear the city is taking action, and some felt it wasn't necessary or a good use of money.
CBS News
13-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
City of Howell hires PR firm to revamp image after incidents involving racism
A public relations firm out of Holland, Michigan, has a big task ahead of them to rehabilitate the city of Howell's image after multiple instances of racist behavior make headlines. In December 2024, the city announced it was working on hiring a PR firm to rehab its image. The move came after a couple of racist incidents relatively close together, including reports of a Nazi demonstration outside a performance of the play "The Diary of Anne Frank." "I hope that they give us some meaningful communication plans to help us tell our story," said City Manager Erv Suida. During the hunt for a PR firm to help, the city experienced another racist incident with another reported Nazi demonstration, this time outside of the Historic Howell Theater. "One of the things we all have to realize is that there seems to be a rise in racism and antisemitic rallies," Suida said. "We don't want to focus around those groups. We've had the White Lives Matter group that has been here and around other communities in Michigan. We want to make sure that we're responding appropriately, but we don't really want to give them that much attention." The city hired Burch Partners to undertake the project. The city shelled out about $20,000 for three months of work, and then any additional help they get, like crisis communication, will be billed at an hourly rate. Suida tells CBS News Detroit that the firm will work behind the scenes to better prepare city officials to respond to situations and better tell the city's story. "One of the things about a good communication plan is how do we communicate with residents and our businesses so they'll definitely see a change in that we want to be more proactive, more outreaching and more transparent," said Suida. "We have a great story we plan on telling that story over the next couple of years, and I think if they can help us do that, then it's money well spent."
