Brookline, currently with a staff of 17, is experiencing another busy year
The Master Group, Canada’s largest and one of North America’s foremost heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration distributors, has opened a 150,000-square-foot warehouse with an additional 48,000 square feet of outdoor storage in High Plains Industrial Park in the Balzac area of Rocky View County.
Making the announcement was an important event for Master in underscoring its dedication in providing world-class infrastructure to support its operations and customer service initiative in Calgary and beyond. It took a lot of planning, and it sought out Calgary’s Brookline Public Relations to support it with industry, media and dignitary relations for the opening.
Master needed to tell that it had invested more than $11 million in Alberta since 2019 and, notably, more than $9 million of this investment has been directed toward the Calgary region, encompassing the establishment of three branches and the construction of the new $6.4-million distribution centre.
Brookline’s relations with the media resulted in the capture of the attention of a number of media outlets, who quoted John Kaul, president of The Master Group, as saying: “We are delighted to inaugurate our new facility in Calgary, which represents a significant milestone in our journey of growth and innovation. The investment underscores our unwavering commitment to providing exceptional solutions and service to our valued customers across Canada and the United States.”
The event, held last month, was a major one for Master that currently serves industry from 85 branches and seven distribution centres, so it was a big comfort being able to rely on an experienced local PR agency.
Brookline, currently with a staff of 17, is experiencing another busy year. Principal and founder Shauna MacDonald says one of its most interesting and rewarding projects was working with the 2024 Global Energy Show. Hired by organizer dmg events for the July 11 to 13 show that was the first to be held in the newly expanded BMO Centre, Brookline was tasked with both pre-event and on-site media relations for what was Canada’s largest B2B exhibition and conference focused on innovation and the ever-changing energy landscape.
Watching over national and international media and dignitaries was an exacting task that meant agency staff were kept busy at the BMO Centre, responsible throughout the three days from accreditation to arranging and supervising interviews.
Other staff, besides taking care of the company’s ongoing portfolio of clients, have been busy getting familiar with the needs of new client Banff Sunshine Village. Brookline will manage media and influencer relations for the Canadian Rockies destination, 7,200 feet high on the Continental Divide. Big news to share later this year will be the introduction of Sunshine’s — and Canada’s — first high-speed, six-passenger Super Angel luxury chairlift, offering skiers and snowboarders heated cabs with bucket seats under stylish yellow bubble covers.
To support its growing client roster, Brookline has welcomed back Amanda Upshaw as group director, rejoining the firm’s leadership team after a leave of absence to lead client and business development among other responsibilities. MacDonald is also pleased to welcome Bret Crowle as a new account co-ordinator. A graduate of Mount Royal University in public relations, she comes to Brookline with in-depth experience working in the municipal government and non-profit sector, most recently for three years serving the Town of Drumheller. And Crowle is also a prominent member of the Calgary poetry scene.
MacDonald founded her Brookline Public Relations firm here 20 years ago and has built it up to be recognized as one of Canada’s leading boutique public relations firms, now also with offices in Edmonton and Toronto.
Notes:
Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Spain’s La Vuelta are some of the most exciting sporting events that draw thousands of spectators over many days of racing. A Criterium is a short-course race that brings competitors through downtown streets at speeds like getaway cars, and that’s what racers will be doing on Aug. 5, reaching up to 70 km/h in the Tour de Bowness. Streets will be closed for a festival and races that will sweep by Bow Cycle on the short course with very sharp turns — whipping crowds into a frenzy. It will be a great weekend for cycling enthusiasts, with the Provincial Road Race Championship in Cochrane on Aug. 3, and the Montgomery Hill Climb on Mackay Road N.W. on Aug. 4.
David Parker appears regularly in the Herald. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622.