Our Services
MakPro provides a variety of services, all with a central theme of “communicating”. Whether it’s assisting groups in communicating to resolve issues and make decisions, or communicating to provide or receive information for construction, we’ve gotten pretty good at making it happen!
Provided below is a brief listing of our services - with a description below, but you can click the link to get there faster. :)
At MakPro, we believe communication is important! In fact, everything we do revolves around communicating with others, or working to help others communicate.
We set the standard!
Your projects and efforts are important – they are important to you and they are important to us! We believe our work sets the standard for projects, and quite frankly it’s what our clients have come to expect. . . in fact, in many instances our services become the organizational standard for contractors, engineers, and project owners with whom we’ve worked.
MakPro has developed a philosophy of “jumping in with both feet” . . . we are fully committed to making your efforts a success. We don’t sit back and wait for information to come our way, or for stakeholders to seek us out, or even for someone to tell us what they need. We’ve gotten pretty good at knowing what needs to be done, and we’re not afraid to do it. We become an active part of the project team and work alongside the contractor and owner to develop project communication plans. We communicate with stakeholders to coordinate the efforts of the contractor, clear the way for their work, and inform nearby residents and businesses in a timely, accurate manner to minimize escalation of project issues.
Project Partnering –
Our partnering sessions are focused on the elements of the project to help the partners get off on the right foot in discussing project issues and working to resolve them. . . that’s what results in project success, and that’s why you came together in the first place! This approach helps the project team get to know each other, and how they communicate and work, in addition to typically reducing the length of the pre-construction meeting since the project issues would have been discussed in a neutral, facilitated discussion. MakPro also conducts partnering surveys to monitor ongoing progress and can conduct mid-project partnering sessions or when significant issues arise to bring the partnership back to the table and revisit the charter and goals so that the project ends on a high note.
Public Involvement –
Public involvement, which seeks to “involve” the community early on in decisions and discussions regarding a project or topic, typically takes place in project planning or design, where stakeholder input can have the most impact. Public involvement requires a project team that is dedicated to helping project stakeholders understand the different aspects of project development. This process can take additional time, but can yield big dividends when it comes to project construction and completion. MakPro has taken the lead on many public involvement projects. Our company is known for building a rapport with the community and is very good at working between the project team and community to understand the issues and the project components, and assembling stakeholder groups dedicated to engaging in the process!
Public Outreach –
Public outreach is a key component for projects, especially larger construction projects, that will impact neighborhoods, property owners, residents, business centers, or even the traveling public. We develop a public outreach plan that will communicate and inform project stakeholders regarding project schedule, progress and any specific impacts. We do this in constant coordination with our client’s public information and relations folks so that we can develop consistent messages and work together to get the word out as broadly as needed. Our outreach typically includes project hotlines, project websites, close stakeholder coordination for specific impacts, broader distribution of materials when needed, and ongoing communications with the project team to make sure we know what’s happening and can speak for the community and businesses at the project table.
Meeting Facilitation –
Meeting facilitation isn’t only about having someone else manage your meeting, it’s about a neutral presence (unaffected by the outcome) who can provide a safe environment for discussion and allows everyone to fully participate. Have you ever been in charge of a meeting and the whole time you were so concerned you needed to hear everyone’s perspective, that you couldn’t fully participate yourself? Or have you ever attended a meeting and felt there was little preparation before the meeting and no resolution at the end of the meeting? Those are both great reasons to have a facilitator. A facilitator offers a neutral perspective in managing the meeting and allows all attendees to fully participate. In addition, a facilitator will help in planning for your meeting, establishing an agenda and ensuring discussions are brought to resolution. You can’t ask for more than that!
MakPro has facilitated numerous public and neighborhood meetings, to include many for high profile, and even sometimes controversial, projects. We work to ensure participants have an opportunity to provide their comments and ensure that meetings stay focused and productive.
Project Information and Collateral –
One of the most important aspects of any major project is communicating with the community – keeping them informed and aware of upcoming construction that may impact where they work and play. MakPro uses a variety of methods to develop communication channels with key business and residential stakeholders, and potentially affected interests. These are detailed below, and include neighborhood meetings and open houses (both virtual and in-person), project newsletters and updates, project websites, and telephone hotlines for immediate information. By informing and educating the community early on in the project, they'll know what to expect during construction, and are usually more understanding, and even supportive, during project construction.
Organizational Management –
MakPro provides organizational management for organizations to keep participants actively engaged, develop organizational objectives and plans, and assist the participants in moving toward their common goal. Our work includes working with organization leaderships and members to plan for meetings, develop agendas and coordinate speakers or presentations, facilitating and documenting meetings, and following up on project discussions to ensure action items are completed. In some cases, we may not provide ongoing management; however, groups find they may need our services for short-term reasons, to develop short- or long-range goals; to work through issues or conflict; or to get the group back on track . . . and we’re happy to do it, because working together is how things get done!
Project Websites & Hotlines –
Our in-house staff designs and develops the project websites for our work. We work with our clients to develop content and format, and then we publish and update regularly so that our websites are fresh and provide accurate information.
Our project hotlines respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and provide bilingual response as well. We understand that when stakeholders are impacted by project activities, that may not always align with the standard workday, so we provide around-the-clock project information and response. We also keep our project owner informed of project issues to assist in resolving any matters that may escalate.
