Southwest Strategies Keeps Up the Winning Streak at the 2009 Bernays

Online, September 23, 2009 (Newswire.com) - San Diego, CA (September, 2009) - Southwest Strategies, a leading San Diego public affairs firm, continued its eight-year winning streak, going home with two awards from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) at the 17th annual Edward L. Bernays Mark of Excellence ceremony on September 17.

"The competition in our field gets tougher each year and Southwest Strategies is humbled and honored to be recognized among some of the best and brightest in our industry," said Chris Wahl, President of Southwest Strategies and President of the San Diego Chapter of PRSA.

Southwest Strategies was honored for its work on San Diego Gas & Electric's (SDG&E) Sunrise Powerlink, a 125-mile, 500,000-volt transmission line that will carry solar and wind energy from Imperial County to San Diego. Southwest Strategies assisted SDG&E to develop a public affairs program designed to educate the public about the benefits of the project and to build a regional coalition of support. Despite the "green" aspects of the line, the project became one of the most controversial and hard-fought infrastructure projects in California's history. Ultimately, the California Public Utilities Commission approved the Sunrise Powerlink in December 2008.

Southwest Strategies was surprised with its second award of the night for its work on behalf of Senior Community Centers. Senior Community Centers (SCC) operates a nutrition and counseling center for impoverished seniors in downtown San Diego. SCC's lease expired in March 2008, and when it finally found a new building, the city's redevelopment agency denied it a permit to move in. SCC hired Southwest Strategies 30 days before a critical vote of the Planning Commission to develop a public outreach program to reverse the decision. SWS implemented a surgical strike that raised awareness of the critical need for senior services downtown and turned out scores of supporters. The commission voted unanimously to grant SCC the permit.

The Edward L. Bernay's Mark of Excellence Awards is the industry's most comprehensive form of recognition. Each year, PRSA recognizes the best work in the public relations field with the Bernays Awards.

Southwest Strategies offers a full range of communications and strategic services for a diverse client list. Southwest Strategies' services include Public Affairs, Community Relations, Crisis Communications, Public Relations, Media Relations, and Government Affairs. Alan Ziegaus and Chris Wahl formed Southwest Strategies in April 2000. Both partners have extensive experience in public relations and public affairs. Southwest Strategies provides personalized and strategic marketing and public affairs services for businesses, non-profits and government agencies in the Southern California region.