The relationship between a corporation and the communities in which it exists is as important as the products produced inside the plant.
Blythe Bellows-Lamonica, senior manager for communications and public affairs with BASF, said the key to engaging with fenceline communities is communication and recognizing it is a mutually beneficial relationship.
"As I say continuously, the goodwill we put out into the community is like depositing it into the bank. Because there may come a day when you need to draw upon that," Bellows-Lamonica said. "If and when something were to happen, you want to come into that situation having already extended the trust, the goodwill and the understanding in the community so that they give you either the benefit of the doubt if it’s misinformation that’s being spread or, if it’s an incident, trust that you can make them safe and make sure this does not happen again."
Bellows-Lamonica was one of three panelists to talk about successful stakeholder engagement during the 2025 AFPM Annual Meeting in San Antonio.
Scott Haynes of PBF Energy said assets in a company’s footprint can vary widely in terms of where they are physically located. Haynes works at the Toledo, Ohio, plant and said political divides in the community surrounding the facility may not be automatically factored into the relationship between the company and the stakeholders.
BASF, PBF, Plains, P66 experts stress building trust with fenceline communities
From left are Nikolas Weinberg-Lynn with P66, Scott Haynes with PBF, Blythe Bellows-Lamonica with BASF and Karen Rugaard Ward with Plains All American.
But those ideologies must be considered, sometimes just as a springboard to begin the conversation.
"We’re often referred to as a flyover state in the Rust Belt, a former giant in manufacturing. But that still rings true with the people in the community there. It’s in the DNA. They value jobs. They value good paying jobs," Haynes said. "Although Ohio is a very red state right now politically, we can coalesce around things if everyone is working off the right information.
"People do value hard work and where we’re located, and we use that to springboard the messaging and then develop relationships. One of the things we’re passionate about is that energy should not be a partisan issue."
Sometimes the approach to building a relationship with residents near the plant and local stakeholders can vary based on whether the corporation is one of the larger employers in the area, said Karen Rugaard Ward, senior manager of government and public affairs with Plains All American Pipeline.
"We need to look at the entire footprint and see which ones we need to go the extra mile with," she said.
Ward said plants often partner with local police and others in initiatives to help the community. One of Plains’ sites invited local first responders to engage in an active shooter drill, and the company has also donated money to help supply fire departments, she said.
"We are very present and very involved when it comes to emergency response," she said.
Panel moderator Nikolas Weinberg-Lynn of Phillips 66 said the O&G industry hasn’t always prioritized community engagement.
"Our industry historically hasn’t done the greatest job of sharing our stories. A lot of times people live right outside our fenceline communities and have no idea what is happening," Weinberg-Lynn said.
Bellows-Lamonica agreed. "I think part of what we are to do, and especially my role, is a little bit of demystifying what is happening behind the gates. Whenever I have a new site leader come in, I tell them there’s a whole new world outside the gates," she said. "And that takes a little bit of getting used to, especially if they’re new in that role. So it’s essential for us to be connecting all those critical people in our communities."
