Minnesota has been invaded! It was hard to escape news reports of the first confirmed Minnesota sighting of the dreaded emerald ash borer (EAB) beetle. Within 24 hours after discovering the invasive beetle in St. Paul, Rainbow Treecare was thrust into the media spotlight.

And thanks to Risdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR), Rainbow Treecare successfully captured and led the discussion on what homeowners can do to protect their trees. As a result of the effort, service inquiries poured into Rainbow Treecare.

Rainbow Treecare provides homeowners with hope after discovering emerald ash borer

While conducting a routine inspection as part of a pruning estimate, Chris Naselli, ISA certified arborist for Rainbow Treecare, discovered Minnesota’s first infestation of EAB. Within hours of the confirmation by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the media was called to “ground zero” to formally announce the presence of the long-dreaded invasive beetle in the state. Featuring spokespersons from national, state and local government organizations as well as Rainbow Treecare, the invasion was poised to dominate the news media discussion in the days and weeks to follow.

Recognizing an opportunity to position itself as experts in the discussion, just a few hours before the press conference, Rainbow Treecare engaged RMPR to help manage the immediate media inquiries and then cultivate media opportunities to “own” the topic from a service provider standpoint.

Through onsite media support, RMPR led media to the tree where the infestation was discovered and facilitated one-on-one interviews with Rainbow Treecare to highlight its services and cultivated post-press conference media interest.

As a result of RMPR’s efforts, Rainbow Treecare was mentioned in nearly all EAB-related media coverage during the first 72 hours following the discovery. Key messages highlighted the company’s expertise and treatment solutions for preventing EAB.

Inclusion in the EAB media coverage resulted in hundreds of homeowner calls and huge spikes in Web site traffic in the first few days and weeks of the discovery of the EAB in Minnesota.

One noteworthy media clip (see below) featured Rainbow Treecare Co-President Greg Krogstad as an in-studio guest on the KARE 11 news. Krogstad offered viewers advice for spotting, and then treating, trees afflicted with the emerald ash borer.

Client: Rainbow Treecare

Media Outlet: KARE-TV Channel 11

Date: May 15, 2009