News Release
August 24, 2007“Watch us blow our stack” blew away AAPA winning honors for JayRay and the Port of Tacoma
With a towering image of a 500-foot smokestack, one catchy slogan and the opportunity for a lucky community member to blow the stack, the campaign for the demolition of the Kaiser Smokestack caught the attention of communities and media all over Pierce County.
For JayRay and the Port of Tacoma’s work, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) honored them with the 2007 Communication Award of Excellence in special events. The Port of Tacoma’s “Kaiser Smokestack Demolition” earned the award for print advertisements and direct mail invitations to “Watch us blow our stack.”
The goal of the Kaiser Smokestack Demolition was to raise awareness that the demolition was taking place and that the area would make room for growth. “The campaign let everyone know what was going on and got the community involved. It was a major success,” said Jerry McLaughlin of JayRay.
The Kaiser Smokestack produced aluminum during the early days of World War II until 2000, when it shut down due to rising energy costs. With the demolition of the smokestack, 96 acres of industrial site would become a productive Port shipping area.
The Port of Tacoma “blew its stack” on July 2, 2007, with hundreds in attendance and thousands feeling the aftershock from the smokestack’s fall.
Since 1996, AAPA’s communication awards have honored excellence in advertising, promotional literature, special events, overall campaign, annual reports, directory/handbook, videos, periodicals, websites, direct mail and audio/ visual presentations.