‘Energy Park’

What this is, is a powerplant…a 30-megawatt gas-fired combined-cycle operation that opened last year in Faribault, MN. It’s now known far and wide as one of the most environmentally friendly power plants in the state.

It’s also received a “Best Practices” award from Combined Cycle Journal for environmental stewardship. It’s a fine-looking green-oriented facility that overcame huge local opposition by being sensitive, being community-involved, and being a smarter marketer.

As a marketer, you can truthfully say this is all about the community. The facility is planned to be a “working classroom” to help students and residents from the region understand energy generation, especially environmentally-friendly ways to generate electricity.

What’s even smarter is in the magazine’s award write-up: “Even the nomenclature was important, calling it an ‘Energy Park’ instead of a powerplant.” The write-up points up the fact that it’s not enough to just be the right things in a community. You also have to be known in the right ways.

Like calling yourself ‘Energy Park.’ Remember what Shakespeare said about names? “A rose by any other name still smells as sweet…” So, in the exemplary case of Faribault, is a powerplant renamed for marketing purposes.