Amanda Mueller (center) with Senior Director Keegan Gibson (left) and Associate Joey Georgy.
When you start a new job, it’s normal to be nervous.
When you’re told that you’re going to ride up 21 stories of a building that is still under construction (read: without walls), it’s also normal to be nervous.
Fear of heights aside, I would rather skip the gentle onboarding and get right to the substantive stuff. Ceisler Media, along with our client The Buccini/Pollin Group (BPG), certainly delivered during the topping out ceremony for the FNB Financial Center in Pittsburgh.
For those unfamiliar with a “topping out” ceremony, it traditionally celebrates the moment the last beam is placed on a structure during construction.
Set to open in early 2024, the FNB Financial Center is an integral part of redevelopment plans for Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood. It’s headed by First National Bank, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Clay Cove Capital, and BPG, among many other stakeholders
What I learned: a topping-out ceremony is meticulous
As a former news anchor, my only experience with this type of ceremony was as an emcee, which required me to simply show up, host a ceremony and news broadcast, and then marvel at the hard work of others while eating cookies under a tent.
Those figures were the cornerstone of the topping out, which started with an opportunity for stakeholders to sign the beam.
Next, across from the construction site and under a tent set up to block the midday sun, an audience gathered to hear from community leaders, investors, legislators, and most importantly, the contractors and business owners that quite literally laid the groundwork for this new addition to the city’s skyline.
(Full disclosure: I came to Ceisler after serving a few years with the City of Pittsburgh, so I was happy to see my recent former colleagues among the crowd. As a non-native Pittsburgher, I’ve always been told Pittsburgh is a city that operates like a small town. Here was the proof, lest I ever question that concept.)
Securing media coverage for our client
The Ceisler team coordinated media interviews with BPG and project leaders before the beam was finally lifted to its permanent home 26 stories above Pittsburgh.
Then, members of the media (and Ceisler) joined the construction managers for a tour of the tower.
Let me say this: if you’ve never executed or coordinated live TV coverage from 21 stories up with no walls, give it a go. Ever the pro, WTAE’s Michael Valente showed viewers a brand-new perspective of the city, while managing to stay far enough from the edge to assuage my fear of heights.
At the end of the day, the Ceisler team coordinated coverage that included video from drones, local news choppers and a large variety of print and broadcast mediums.
Prior to the topping-out ceremony, we coordinated the event and media interviews and press coverage, developed and summarized talking points, and monitored media coverage.
The topping out was the capstone of a much larger community investment process in the Hill District that is still unfolding.
The larger story runs much deeper than this one event.
For me, the placement of that beam just happened to coincide with my personal placement at Ceisler Media.
