Linking announcements to current trends or events in the news can be an effective way to attract the attention of the media and generate positive publicity.A case in point: There is growing interest among the public, local governments, and the business community in abandoning or prohibiting plastic straws that are harmful to the environment and encouraging the use of eco-friendly paper alternatives.Hoffmaster Group, Inc. capitalized on these concerns in a news release about their…

Below is an opinion piece by Edward Segal that was published in The Washington Post on November 25, 2018 about the natural gas leak problem in Washington DC. The article is also online at this link.Washington Gas Tight-Lipped about Leaks By Edward SegalWhy doesn’t Washington Gas want us to know about potential dangers to our safety that may be buried under our streets?Although there have been dozens of natural gas leaks in my Georgetown neighborhood since 2016, the utility…

What would you rather be: a chief or just another member of the tribe? A trail blazer or trail follower? Someone who helps determine and influence the conversation or a worker bee that waits for others to establish the agenda?If you’d prefer to help set the pace instead of simply run the race, then the chances are you would like to be a thought leader. Here’s how to do it:Be an expert Select topics or issues about which you have knowledge. Have or develop a track record of…

The Center for California Real Estate asked me to write an article about a novel lobbying tool that housing advocates can use to help reduce opposition to and generate support for the construction of new and affordable housing developments.My story about this new approach appears in the recent inaugural issue of The Journal of Case Study Research™: A Publication of the Center for California Real Estate (and subsidiary of the California Association of REALTORS). To read the story,…

The editors of California Real Estate magazine, which is published by the California Association of REALTORS®, asked me to write a feature article about the impact and challenges of the state’s low housing inventory problem and what some REALTOR® associations are doing about it. The article appears in the September 2016 issue of the magazine. To read the story, please click here.