If, however, an executive makes a false forecast about earnings or you failed to assure product safety and/or employee safety, or, for example, you didn’t have appropriate safety procedures in place for the tornado, you may be cast as the villain. In any case, this is a defining moment for the company.

Define yourself or you will be defined. It's always better to prepare for the unimaginable because if the mistake has already been made, it costs a whole lot more to fix it. In either case, we handle the tough ones, and quick response is our middle name.


Clients

With all of our clients, we keep our behind-the-scenes crisis work confidential. However, a few have agreed to a brief explanation.

Halliburton
In March 2005, The Texas Public Relations Society honored the Halliburton communications team and The LeMaster Group for their work in crisis communications for the company in 2004. The oil field services company endured unprecedented corporate attacks during the presidential campaign. At one point during the year, the Washington Post said that opponents to the Bush/Cheney ticket had one answer for every problem: Blame Halliburton. Dick Cheney was the president of Halliburton before he was asked to join the ticket in 2000. The two media teams implemented an aggressive quick response strategy as well as a targeted opinion leader effort that included a forceful campaign to educate the news media about the work Halliburton was doing in Iraq to support the troops.

Various Halliburton News Articles [Adobe PDF]


Classic Foods
It was a case of mistaken identity. A nationwide recall of Sheriff Blaylock's Chili made by Classic Foods in Fort Worth closed the plant and sent the national media in a frenzy. The brand was believed to have caused a botulism outbreak. Officials from Classic Foods turned to The LeMaster Group to handle crisis communications. The firm developed the media strategy, wrote and distributed news releases, and prepared company spokespersons for interviews. The LeMaster Group advised that Classic Foods prove the chili had been properly produced and that the botulism occurred after the chili left the plant. They did, were cleared, and business started once again. It wasn't until months later that the investigation determined that Classic Foods had nothing to do with the case. In fact, a completely different company produced the bad chili.

Chili production resumes after cases of botulism
The Dallas Morning News


Allen Independent School District
In the wake of the Columbine High School massacre, one Texas school district faced the same fear following a string of bomb threats. Allen Independent School District had worried parents, students and staff on their hands with a message of safety on their minds. They called The LeMaster Group to help them communicate new security measures quickly and clearly.

We read and hear about crisis situations everyday in the news. When reporters call asking for an expert opinion on a particular crisis, they ask for Lisa. Here's what she had to say.

Dealing with disaster