CIG: Denver Public Relations, training, graphic design, research and proposal writing

Great Moments in CIG History - Chapter 1

In May, CIG turns five and – in true CIG style – we’re not letting this birthday pass by without a celebration. What anniversary is complete without a commemorative nod to years past? And, let’s face it… after five years of clients, collaboration and, of course, cocktails, we’ve got a few stories to tell. Lucky for you, we’re willing to share a few with our friends and colleagues in a series we’ve dubbed: “Great Moments in CIG History!”

The year was 2005. Some of you may remember it as the year Steve Fossett broke a world record for around-the-world non-stop flight, or the year that Saddam Hussein went on trial. Maybe you’re the type that remembers it as the year Tom Cruise “jumped the couch,” so to speak, or that “Hollaback Girl” was the No. 1 song on the radio.

I remember it as the year an unlikely public relations firm – CIG – was born.

Unlikely, because I never intended on starting my own business. In fact, the thought had never even really crossed my mind. The T-REX project was just beginning to wind down and I was very happy, quite content in fact, to bleed Kiewit black and gold for many years to come. Following the tremendous success of T-REX, we decided to put together a team to pursue the FasTracks Public Information and Outreach Consultant project as a Kiewit venture, which I thought sounded like a great transition from T-REX. The “FasTracks Yes” Campaign had been a triumph and we began to put our proposal together with the understanding that Kiewit would supply the public information side of things and CRL Associates the public affairs side.

However, things didn’t exactly go as planned, as they typically don’t. The arrangement our team had began to unravel. Thus, a decision was laid out in front of me – leave Kiewit to work on FasTracks, or stay with them and abandon an opportunity to work on the largest voter-approved transit expansion project in the entire United States. To leave a job I loved with a company that was unconditionally supportive, for a chance to step into the dark abyss of small business ownership. This proved to be the single hardest decision I have ever made.

Well, I guess something about the instability and inconsistent pay sounded appealing to me, so I took the plunge and within days, CIG became reality. In July 2005, we started working on the RTD FasTracks Public Information and Public Outreach Consultant contract with joint-venture partner CRL Associates. I hired my first employee, Laurie Meza, and we set up CIG World Headquarters at Hacienda Morales, high above beautiful downtown Evergreen.

As a public relations firm, we decided one of the first things we needed was a logo and brand identity (mainly so we would have something to put on a business card). I enlisted the help of my longtime friend and colleague Michelle Carnes and Communication Infrastructure Group was born.

Now, you might think that a veteran communication professional would appreciate the power of brevity. Not always. My original e-mail address was .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

After a few months of giving that out over the phone, coupled with the escalating probability of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, we decided to shorten it up to cig-pr.com. Looking back, I can hardly fathom how we survived that first year, with me doing my own bookkeeping and serving as the HR, Billing and Client Services department at the same time.

Survive we did, and sure enough, next thing you know, it was 2006…

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