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The Town of Sunnyvale is a small, upscale community in eastern Dallas County. The Town covers 16.54 square miles with a population of just more than 9,000 and is growing at a rate of 5 percent annually. While the Town’s economic development opportunities are thriving with new retail and entertainment options, its rural atmosphere featuring trails and rolling green spaces is a valued attribute the Town continues to embrace and enhance. As Sunnyvale grows, its residents, businesses and other stakeholders have an increased need to be more engaged and informed about Town programs, initiatives and projects. Their understanding of these processes is critical to facilitating quality growth and development while maintaining key lifestyle and community assets.

industry

government & economic development

services

communications assessments & planning
creative services – branding and collateral
creative services – web and digital
crisis communications & issues management
key message development
media relations
public involvement & stakeholder engagement

the challenge

Creating a Consistent, Effective Communications Function

The Town of Sunnyvale had previously established a weekly e-newsletter, some basic social media accounts, a professionally designed website, and a print newsletter. While the Town benefitted from a staff member’s talents in managing these channels, only a portion of that individual’s time could be devoted to those responsibilities. Sunnyvale needed day-to-day communications support as well as a review of existing assets and priorities upon which to build and grow an ongoing communications program.

the strategy

Assess In Order to Engage

Cooksey undertook a Comprehensive Strategic Communications Assessment, also known as an “audit,” for the Town of Sunnyvale in the spring of 2023. At the same time, the Cooksey team took over management of website content, specific social media channels, and the weekly e-newsletter and provided media relations and other strategic communications support. The Cooksey team conducted interviews with various internal and external stakeholders to gather perspectives and end-user preferences about the Town’s communications effort, along with a survey to identify the best-used channels. Benchmarking was conducted with peer and aspirational cities inside Texas. Further, Cooksey evaluated the Town’s various communications channels and offered recommendations to build on the best-utilized channels and revive the print newsletter many community members said they missed. The result of the process was greater strategic engagement on the part of the Town in its communication with stakeholders.

the solution

Optimize and Build Consistency

While the Town of Sunnyvale had some basic communications structure in place, the Cooksey team’s report prioritized key components for focused growth and enhancement, while building policies and processes to facilitate consistency and quality. The Town chose to continue to utilize the Cooksey team as their strategic communications resource to manage day-to-day messaging and strategic communications and help facilitate public engagement and outreach. In response to community feedback, the Cooksey team helped Sunnyvale revive its quarterly print newsletter and build consistency in its digital and online presence.

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City of Waco

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Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Dallas, one of 11 banks within the Federal Home Loan Bank System, serves approximately 800 members and associated institutions across a five-state district. FHLB of Dallas first came to Cooksey in 2017 for media relations to support its financial products and services, including loans to members and grant programs for affordable housing and economic development. In 2023, the relationship grew when FHLB of Dallas hired Cooksey to design and develop its first annual ESG report, which Cooksey supported again in 2024.

industry

professional services

services

creative services – branding and collateral
media relations
sustainability / ESG assessment, planning & reporting

the challenge

Raising Awareness for Affordable Housing Finance in Five States

Throughout its five-state district, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas, FHLB offers four types of Community Investments programs to help members and communities thrive. These programs are broken up into four categories, including grants and subsidies for homeowners, organization and veterans, disaster relief, advance programs and small business. Over the last six years, Cooksey has been tasked with increasing awareness about these programs and FHLB’s investment in countless communities across each of its five states.

the strategy

Conducting Media Relations Alongside ESG Reporting

Cooksey curated media lists specific to each press release’s subject matter and location. Each media list included hyperlocal, regional, national and appropriate trade contacts, as well as local and state officials and community organizations, like chambers of commerce. Cooksey also followed a consistent outreach regimen, which included same-day email distribution, one to two rounds of email follow-up and a final round of phone calls. In 2023, FHLB of Dallas engaged Cooksey in an additional workstream: design and development of its first ESG report. FHLB rehired Cooksey again in 2024 to produce its second ESG Report, “Investing in What Matters.”

the solution

Implementing a Two-Pronged Approach for Maximum Impact

Cooksey has worked diligently to develop strong relationships with key local media contacts in each of the five states’ major media markets over the last six years. As a result, Cooksey has secured nearly 100 unique media clips each year to raise awareness about FHLB’s community investment efforts. Most notably, through Cooksey’s efforts, FHLB of Dallas has been prominently featured in Albuquerque Journal, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Biz New Orleans, Bossier Press-Tribune, D Magazine, Dallas Business Journal, Dallas Innovates, Dallas Morning News, Community Impact, Mississippi Free Press and the Santa Fe New Mexican. The partnership continues to yield consistent coverage in diverse markets throughout the region.

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ELM Companies

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Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Designing an Award-Winning ESG Report for a Global Hub

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Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) demonstrates its dedication to leadership and transparency in its annual report on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and performance. Cooksey was honored to be selected as DFW’s partner in developing its 2021 ESG Report. The project had a very tight deadline, and Cooksey rose to the challenge with an award-winning report—delivered on time, within budget and with 100% client satisfaction.

industry

transportation & water

services

creative services – branding and collateral
sustainability / ESG assessment, planning & reporting

the challenge

Delivering Excellence on a Compressed Timeline

Building on a relationship that began with Cooksey successfully completing the DFW International Airport Strategic Plan 2016-2020, DFW later rehired Cooksey to complete its 2021-2024 Strategic Plan. In July 2022, the airport returned to Cooksey with another request: to complete its ESG report within a compressed timeline of eight weeks. Cooksey’s creative department mobilized to develop a custom template in collaboration with a GRI-certified consultant.

the strategy

Deploying Process-Driven Expertise for On-Time Delivery

Cooksey and the DFW Airport team scoped the project to include a kick-off meeting to determine roles; review of initial copy and storyline development by chapter/section; research into each completed section; scheduling and holding of interviews; content development by chapter/section; review of each chapter/section for complete coverage; initial and final GRI reviews; delivery of each chapter/section completed; creative and photo recommendations; creation of infographics; layouts coordinated between Cooksey/DFW Airport staff; proofreading and final edits/approval; delivery of final hi-res pdf version of the report to DFW Airport with edits incorporated; creation of two-pager including QR code for a link to the report; and delivery of board-ready materials.

the solution

Producing ‘Sustainability by Design’ with Award-Winning Creative

The deliverables from this work included “Sustainability by Design,” a custom-designed, expertly written ESG report aligned to GRI Standards, covering DFW Airport’s fiscal year 2021 (October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021), and associated board materials. The report earned recognition from the 2023 MarCom Awards in the ‘Annual Report – Corporate Social Responsibility’ category and was a finalist in the 2022 Dallas PRSA Pegasus Awards.

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Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

Reporting ESG Performance and Promoting Financial Inclusion in Multiple Markets

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ELM Companies

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Situated at the intersection of five major roadways, Anna, Texas, is the ideally positioned along the northern corridor of expansion of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. As the metroplex has grown, more people have moved north to Collin County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, to find affordable housing, good schools and a better quality of life. A trusted partner of the Anna Economic Development Corporation (EDC), Cooksey Communications focuses on driving awareness for the rapidly developing outer-ring suburb as it grows to its full potential at the crossroads of rapid development in the North Texas region.

industry

government & economic development

services

communications assessments & planning
creative services – branding and collateral
creative services – web and digital
crisis communications & issues management
key message development
marketing strategy & planning
media relations
public involvement & stakeholder engagement
special events
thought leadership positioning

the challenge

Build a presence and create a lasting impression in a sea of thriving communities

For many people not living in the immediate area, Anna, Texas, was once best known as a “truck stop city,” in the far reaches of northern Collin County. In addition, in recent years, a number of other outer-ring suburbs also began to emerge in the area, creating further challenges as Anna worked to establish itself as a pro-business, pro-growth city focused on providing an attractive location for businesses and a home for those searching for affordable housing and close proximity to both the Dallas area and the rising tech hub in Grayson County just north of the city. Once Anna adopted its new strategic plan and reduced permitting process timeline, the need arose to raise awareness and educate target audiences, including real estate developers and brokers, homebuilders and the business community, about Anna and its business-friendly trajectory for growth.

the strategy

Create a brand that reflects opportunity and capitalizes on North Texas’ momentum as a destination for growth and relocation

Cooksey initiated its efforts for the Anna EDC with a comprehensive communications audit and plan that would lead to the creation of a lasting brand and ensure on-target messaging. The audit included conducting interviews with city officials and key stakeholders and a review of peer and aspirational cities’ marketing and branding efforts. As part of the final plan, Cooksey refreshed Anna’s branding with a modern, eye-catching look-and-feel, developed key messages sharing Anna’s pro-business mindset and growth potential, and created the EDC’s signature tagline, “Groundbreaking Possibilities.” This audit and plan set the stage to launch an ongoing marketing program that would raise awareness about Anna and educate target audiences about its pro-growth strategy.

the solution

Implement a comprehensive marketing plan that highlights Anna’s potential and attracts developers

As part of its efforts, Cooksey keeps Anna top-of-mind among the developer, broker and business communities by employing media relations, advertising, and paid content. To combat the challenge of Anna’s northern Collin County location, Cooksey and the Anna EDC regularly host key media contacts for city tours, resulting in features and numerous stories in target media outlets including the Dallas Business Journal, Dallas Morning News and Bisnow, while also sharing Anna’s business and residential real estate development progress in media outlets including DCEO, Texas Contractor, CoStar and REDnews. In addition, Cooksey developed a video of Anna that showcases its numerous attributes, from vast land available for development to infrastructure connections to the region and a high quality of life. The video provides an easy way for target audiences to get a firsthand look at Anna, whether at tradeshows, sponsored events or on the Anna EDC website. Award nominations and commercial real estate event sponsorships also play a significant role in furthering exposure among Anna’s key target audiences. Finally, Cooksey develops engaging ads for placement in business and real estate-related trade media publications that are often accompanied by advertorials and sponsorship recognitions.