I spoke to a journalist recently and he asked me “why don’t you guys send us press releases?”

Not an unreasonable question –if you visit our center and look at the projects in the lobby or visualizations in the Drum– since there are many stories that we seldom hit up the media with. There’s a good reason we don’t do a lot of that. Much of the work is often proprietary; when it is completed, the client does the publicity. Sometimes that makes an even more powerful story.

Take the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway project, now a 3D visualization we feature. The East Mesa area has been getting great mileage from the work we did on the project.  We worked with the Office of Economic Development, and helped them and other stakeholders understand sound contours (seen as rings in this image, left) that they could see on a Google Earth platform across seven screens. They could also hear it in surround sound! That helped them plan development compatible with aircraft flight paths. Mesa gets plenty of good press about the development.

Then there’s the ongoing work with the Arizona Board of Regents. Because it involves three state universities –and we happen to be in one of them — We maintain a neutrality on this since and the work we do doesn’t get the typical kind of PR.

Other ongoing work involves the National Science Foundation, helping them with energy policies, and work on Light Rail plans in the East Valley. So yes there are stories we don’t holler about, for good reason.

But you soon will. Starting this year, if you care to subscribe to this blog and our Twitter feed, you might get the inside scoop.