In recent issue of Trains Magazine, there was a story about a regional railroad crew in the southeast United States. Enroute they would stop the train, feed an apple or some similar fruit to a mule who was always smart enough to walk to the tracks when he heard the train coming. The crew when asked why they did it, they said yes it was enjoyable making the stop but it was important to that their business had good relations with the people who resided in the area.
Supply Chain risk which has been written about a lot. There are worries about severe weather, earthquakes and other natural disasters. There is worry about supplier of product or transportation services disappearing or being unavailable for a long time. But its your neighbors in your community who make the zone ordinances which allow your business to operate and operate efficiently. It is likely your neighbors will be the supply of people who might hire to help run your supply chain. So it is part of the company’s effort to ease and eliminate supply risk, good neighbor relations are important.
So planning community relations is part of the process. Maybe it having school children to explain what you do. Maybe it is supporting your local community college and having them having supply chain classes. Maybe it is keeping in contact with local government. After all what you do, helps a community grow.