REGROUP helps Oakland County Parks secure 1.875M grant to purchase Turtle Woods.

Turtle Woods, an untouched nature area home to endangered turtles, will be acquired by Oakland County Parks from Troy Schools.

REGROUP was approached by long-time research partner Karl Schmidt, owner of Emicity and former Troy School Board member, about teaming up with the Oakland County Parks, Troy Schools and the Six Rivers Land Conservancy to help them craft a pitch to secure the future of Turtle Woods as a nature preserve. Regarding the importance of Turtle Woods, Executive Director of Six Rivers Land Conservancy, Chris Bunch said, “The property has nearly 40 acres of wetlands that are critical not only as habitat, but also for their role in stormwater management and water quality in the region. There aren’t many places like this left in Southeast Michigan.”

Being a certified B Corp, our first question wasn’t, “What’s the budget?” it was, “How can we help?” Our creative team jumped in and worked with students from Troy Athens High School to create a presentation for the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) Board. We helped guide them creatively, making sure they had the most compelling story as well as a compelling pitch.

The presentation centered less around the facts and figures about the land, and focused on the emotional connection we have to nature. This approach utilized audio cues to contrast the high noise and high stress environment that urban areas create to the peace and stress relief being in nature can bring us. The rest of the presentation included amazing video shot and edited by two Troy Athens students. The pitch had exactly its intended effect, moving the board members and really showcasing the importance of Turtle Woods to the community.

Oakland County Parks Manager of Planning and Development, Melissa Prowse said, “I wanted you to know that people still come up to me and talk about that presentation you helped us put together for the August 2023 Trust Fund board meeting.  It really spoke to the DNR staff and I think helped them fall a little more in love with Turtle Woods, which is exactly what we wanted.”

This project is a shining example of what we at REGROUP love to be a part of. It’s important to us to be able to live out our agency values and show others why we became a certified B Corp in the first place.

REGROUP is a woman-owned, full-service marketing agency helping complex brands find truth, build trust and power growth through our brand + performance solutions. With over 40 years of experience, we are people first and committed to using business as a force for good.