Interstate Bridge Replacement Program
The Interstate Bridge is a critical piece of infrastructure on the I-5 corridor, connecting the dynamic economies of Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, while serving as a vital trade route for regional, national and international commerce. However, the existing structure, now more than a century old, is increasingly vulnerable to seismic events and no longer meets the demands of modern transportation. It also features the only lift span “stoplight” between Mexico and Canada to accommodate river traffic. In 2019 the Oregon Department of Transportation and Washington State Department of Transportation launched the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, a comprehensive effort to deliver a modern, seismically resilient, multimodal crossing.
From the outset, the Program adopted a targeted, audience-first communication strategy to build broad regional support. To reach priority audiences, Amico launched and led all social media platforms, delivering tailored content for each. Using data from the American Community Survey, the Program identified approximately 31,000 residents within the immediate area as equity priority community members.
To reach youth in particular — who represent 25% of this population and will live with the new crossing the longest — Amico led a campaign focused on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram between August 2022 and June 2023, leveraging short-form video content and trending formats to clearly communicate the challenges of the existing bridge and the benefits of its replacement. In parallel, Amico led the LinkedIn strategy to reach industry professionals and decision-makers through thought leadership, Program updates and consistent storytelling centered on equity and community impact. Amico also led strategy and content across Twitter/X and Facebook to ensure the social ecosystem effectively reached and engaged all equity priority communities and the broader region.
Between August 2022 and June 2023, the results significantly exceeded all performance objectives. During this period, the youth-specific campaign alone generated more than 63,000 combined video views on TikTok and Instagram Reels (well above the 25,000 target) and drove over 18,000 total engagements across platforms, surpassing its goal of 15,000. LinkedIn also exceeded expectations in this timeframe, growing to more than 1,100 followers, while equity-focused posts nearly doubled their engagement target with 993 interactions. During the past five years, IBR’s social media following has grown by 665%, starting with just a few hundred followers to over 7,100 in April 2026. Engagement has grown steadily over the past five years, more than doubling on LinkedIn and Facebook and Amico’s efforts have led to over 7 million organic impressions. Most critically, the IBR Program’s 4.3% engagement rate is more than double the industry standard for government accounts.
High-performing content included leadership-driven posts featuring Program Administrator Greg Johnson, visualizations of the future bridge, and real-world demonstrations of current challenges such as traffic delays caused by bridge lifts. In Spring 2026, the Program reached its penultimate federal milestone with the submission of its final environmental documentation; construction of the lift-free span is currently scheduled to begin in 2028.
PRSA Oregon Spotlight Awards, Best Use of Social Media, 2022 & 2023
Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon
In the wake of passage of Oregon’s Measure 110 in 2020 and the rapid rise of fentanyl use during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon, (since rebranded as The Peer Company), found itself at the center of a complex and highly visible public health challenge. As one of the state’s largest providers of peer-centered addiction recovery services, MHAAO received a contract in late 2022 from Multnomah County to operate the newly opened Behavioral Health Resource Center.
Located in the heart of one of downtown Portland’s most impacted areas, BHRC offers essential services such as showers, laundry and referrals to houseless and drug-affected populations. However, shortly after the facility opened, community concerns and business opposition fueled a wave of negative media coverage, placing MHAAO in a defensive position just as it prepared to launch its new Peer Recovery Campus in Southeast Portland. In response, MHAAO engaged Amico in mid-2023 to lead a year-long strategic communication effort designed to reshape public perception and reinforce its role as a trusted community partner.
The strategy focused on elevating MHAAO’s leadership — particularly Executive Director Janie Gullickson, a recovering addict who spent years on the streets and in detention — as a credible voice in the field. Through proactive media engagement, coordinated interviews and partnerships with organizations such as Multnomah County and the Portland Police Bureau, Amico repositioned MHAAO as a solutions-oriented organization aligned with statewide recovery goals and deeply embedded in the community.
The results of this effort were transformative. Within months, negative media narratives dissipated, replaced by sustained positive coverage that included 19 favorable placements by June 2024 (two of which were front-page features in The Oregonian, the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. West Coast), as well as international attention from as far away as South Korea and Norway. MHAAO evolved from a subject of criticism to a sought-after media resource, while also achieving key organizational milestones: retaining its BHRC contract, expanding its peer workforce to 200, and successfully relocating to its new Peer Recovery Campus without public backlash.
PRSA Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation, 2025