Summer Newsletter 2026

Reconnecting

Our team recently came together for our annual staff retreat, a valuable opportunity to step away from our day-to-day responsibilities and connect. The retreat centered on understanding our individual personality styles, communication preferences and ways to work more effectively together. Through our DISC assessments, team members gained a deeper appreciation for the strengths and perspectives each person brings to our work, helping us strengthen collaboration and better serve our clients.

We were also honored to welcome representatives from the Village of Franklin Park, who shared insights into the community's ongoing initiatives, priorities and capital improvement projects. Their perspective provided a meaningful look at the challenges and opportunities municipalities face and reinforced the important role consultants play in supporting local governments through planning, public engagement, communications and project delivery. To wrap up the day, our team toured several notable projects throughout Franklin Park, giving staff the opportunity to see firsthand how infrastructure and community improvements are making a difference for residents and businesses.

The tour was a great reminder of the importance of continuous learning, strong partnerships and teamwork as we continue to grow and support the communities we serve.

Supporting Local Communities

Our amazing staff continue to find innovative ways to connect residents, businesses and stakeholders with projects that impact their communities. Whether hosting large-scale public meetings or participating in neighborhood pop-up events, our team is committed to making information accessible, understandable and relevant to the people we serve.

One recent highlight was the Connect Franklin Park public meeting, where our team worked intentionally to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for residents of all backgrounds. Recognizing the community's diversity, we implemented a variety of engagement strategies designed to encourage participation and ensure that every attendee had an opportunity to learn about the project and share their feedback.

Franklin Park

Berwyn

Beyond traditional public meetings, our staff understand that effective engagement often means meeting people where they are. In Berwyn, team members participated in community pop-up events to connect directly with residents about the Lead Service Line Replacement Program, answering questions and helping community members understand the benefits of the program. These informal interactions created opportunities for residents to receive information in a comfortable setting while building trust and fostering stronger community relationships.

At Metro Strategies Group, we believe successful projects are built on strong communication and genuine community involvement.

Grant Deadlines

8/5/2026 - National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chi-Cal Rivers Fund

8/14/2026 - IDOT Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)

8/21/2026 - ComEd Powering the Holidays Grant Program

8/31/2026 - IDNR Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD)

9/4/2026 - Alliance for the Great Lakes Community Partnership Grant Program

9/16/2026 - Illinois EPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Program

10/5/2026 - IDOT Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP)

Featured Partner Firm

We would like to take a moment to recognize our Featured Partner Firm, KPMG, and express our appreciation for the opportunity to collaborate with their team on the Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) initiative.

Throughout the project, KPMG has demonstrated a strong commitment to collaboration, transparency and partnership. From the outset, their team fostered an environment where every subconsultant was treated as a valued contributor, creating a truly integrated project team focused on achieving the best outcomes for the client. Their inclusive approach encouraged open communication, knowledge sharing and teamwork, allowing each firm to contribute its unique expertise and perspective.

Working alongside KPMG on the Blue Ribbon Commission has not only been rewarding professionally but has also reinforced the value of strong partnerships in delivering meaningful results for clients and communities. We are grateful for the opportunity to be part of this important initiative and look forward to future opportunities to collaborate with the talented team at KPMG.

Thank you, KPMG, for being a trusted partner and for your commitment to excellence, teamwork and client service. We are proud to highlight your contributions and celebrate the positive impact of our partnership.

As a small business, Metro Strategies Group values the opportunity to partner with larger firms numerous projects across the region. These collaborations allow us to contribute specialized expertise while continuing to grow our knowledge, capabilities and experience. From the $4 billion Central Tri-State Improvement Project, IDOT’s Blue Ribbon Commission, Design-Build projects and local projects, these partnerships have strengthened our team and enhanced the services we provide to clients.

What makes these partnerships successful goes beyond project delivery—it’s the commitment to working together as one team.

Successful partnerships are built on:

• Collaboration – Bringing diverse perspectives together to develop stronger solutions. This can only happen when everyone has a seat at the planning table and offered the opportunity to contribute.

• Support – Creating an environment where team members can rely on one another’s strengths, resources and technical knowledge to achieve shared goals and overcome obstacles. Many small businesses have different skills and can support different elements of tasks if given an opportunity.

• Teamwork – Working as an integrated team rather than separate organizations, ensuring every partner contributes meaningfully to project strategy, decision-making and success. Tasks should not be siloed to different firms as this limits understanding of how the different pieces work.

• Efficiency – Leveraging each firm's unique capabilities to streamline processes, reduce duplication of effort and keep projects moving forward on schedule and within budget. We can more efficiently engage stakeholders if we are part of projects as they progress as it improves our understanding and ability to create materials.

• Communication – Maintaining open, transparent and consistent dialogue among clients, stakeholders and project teams helps to build understanding, align expectations and foster stronger relationships. When we are in regular communication it provides the opportunity for our staff to share their experience, insights and recommendations that may help move projects toward implementation.

• Trust – When partners truly value and treat our staff well, it establishes long-term relationships based on mutual respect, reliability, accountability and a shared commitment to delivering quality results. This trust allows our team the safe space to share and offer differing perspectives or recommendations for teams and clients to think through.

• Planning – Aligning project/client goals, objectives and strategies early in the process to proactively address challenges and potential issues allows the entire team to position projects for success.

• Shared Success – We want to celebrate achievements together! By working together we can create recommendations that benefit clients and communities, making our region a better place.

At Metro Strategies Group, we believe small businesses bring unique value through flexibility, responsiveness and specialized expertise in public engagement, communications, stakeholder outreach, funding, project implementation and consensus building. We are grateful for the partners who view us as an integral part of their team and look forward to continuing to build relationships that strengthen our industry, serve our clients and improve our communities.

Staff Highlights

Welcome.

Metro Strategies Group are excited to welcome Melissa Hill as Senior Project Manager to our team. Melissa’s extensive experience working with local and state government organizations in Minnesota helps her navigate complex issues and create strategies that build consensus. She knows how to align diverse interests and successfully overcome obstacles to achieve project goals.

Congratulations.

Sarah Archer recently crossed the graduation stage at the ACEC Illinois Spring Board Meeting after completing the ACEC Executive Leadership Institute program. This program is specifically designed to help professionals strength practical management, business operations and leadership skills in our industry. Through this multi-month program, Sarah learned skills related to leadership empowerment, employee retention, conflict resolution, financial management and legislative advocacy. We are so incredibly proud of her for being a shining example of leadership and excellence in transportation!