Stakeholder Engagement

Successfully gaining public trust and acceptance is a major component of sustainability and land stewardship efforts. Unfortunately, at times this can be a big challenge. Americans are inundated with a constant stream of messages and information. Political divisions rage on, often with toxic dialogue as a new norm. With such major hurdles, it can be hard to remain optimistic that your project or initiative will succeed. How can you get stakeholders to pay attention to your issue? Even more complex, how can you get them on board if they disagree? What if your initiative comes with a price tag or touches on strong emotional factors?

HEI’s team has never been known to shy away from these difficult situations. We believe that through dialogue, we can strive for a shared societal responsibility to deal with natural resources issues. Collaborative solutions are key to the most efficient, positive outcomes. We facilitate conversations among many groups, asking necessary questions to define common ground and work from there. HEI also uses technical information as a backbone to explain issues and the need for solutions in an easy-to-understand way that helps clarify goals. 

We differentiate ourselves by the ability to view big-picture issues and their potential solutions, then bridging gaps in conversation between broad stakeholders. Working as a thought leader in this arena, HEI often works between agencies, local governments, landowners, and the general public to build strong teams moving to a common goal that’s good for all. By finding solutions that provide multiple benefits, we can help drive win-win projects that reduce long-standing tensions and help change the overall dialogue surrounding conservation and American Agriculture. We have seen the success that can exist in this space and it only drives us to keep guiding these great conversations.