Calypso Communications Offers Crisis Management Tips to Energy Industry Professionals
Calypso Communications (www.calypsocom.com), a full-service strategic marketing, corporate communications, and business development consultancy, today presents crisis management recommendations to alternative and renewable energy generation and environmental technology professionals. Calypso, nationally recognized for its in-depth knowledge of the power industry, designed the tips to prepare energy experts and companies at all levels of development for a range of crises in this constantly evolving field.
“The energy industry is ripe for crises that are not always limited to traditional fossil fuel power generation,” said Kevin Stickney, Calypso founder. “While many mistakenly avoid or deflect these situations, a crisis can be an unplanned opportunity to communicate key messages, strategic strengths, and corporate values.”
To ease communication efforts while handling a crisis, Stickney recommends establishing a management plan well ahead of a potential situation. Some basic tips include:
- Prepare in advance. A crisis is like a heart attack; the way you live beforehand is better protection than the way you respond afterwards. Do your homework, have a plan, designate a team… don’t wait for the tingling left arm.
- Respect perception. While a local labor issue, pollution infraction, or pricing change may strike you as insignificant, your customers, employees, and investors may think otherwise. A crisis is often based on a perception… and it’s seldom yours.
- Be early. Be honest. Be open. Designate someone to say something. Not always easy or intuitive for plant operators, it’s critical to be concerned, engaged, and responsive. That doesn’t mean you to need to have – or provide – any answers. Leave the disappearing act to pro golfers and politicians.
- Deliver your messages. For every question about what went wrong, there’s a corollary to what went right; without diminishing the importance of the event, get to these points quickly. Express concern and commitment – then move to the technologies, track record, policies, and people that define your firm’s usual standards and its typical success.
- Communicate in arrears. Break down what went wrong, who was impacted, why certain questions were asked, how issues were handled, and where improvements can be made. And make them. In advance. Most important, establish a culture of communicating, in the good times, with those who will need or want answers during any type of crisis.
Kevin Stickney has 30 years’ executive-level experience in managing complex public affairs issues involving waste-to-energy, environmental technology, and a range of other industries. He is an expert in national and international media relations strategies and comprehensive employee, investor, and marketing communications programs for legislative, labor, and regulatory matters; technology and manufacturing sectors; service sector businesses, and capital project business development. Stickney has provided consulting and crisis communications and media training services worldwide, from Europe, Asia, and Australia to North America including Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
“There are no real secrets to effective, efficient, and responsible crisis management, just a few truths,” said Stickney. “Crises will occur in your business, your stakeholders will be affected, and your company’s reputation will change as a result. Those who take the initiative to prepare are often those who emerge from a crisis unscathed.”
Calypso Communications & Strategic Carbon Initiative Advance Partnership, Funding Search
Agency’s Renewable Energy Experience Helps Startup Raise Visibility Read more
Calypso Communications to Showcase Energy Industry Expertise at Premier All Renewable Energy Business Event
Agency Joins More Than 300 Energy and Environmental Technology Leaders at RETECH 2010
Calypso Communications, a full-service strategic marketing, corporate communications, and business development consultancy firm, today announces its participation in Renewable Energy Technology Conference & Exhibition 2010 (www.retech2010.com) in Washington DC on February 3 5. Calypso, the only marketing agency scheduled to attend, will join more than 300 leading renewable energy and environmental technology innovators to demonstrate its extensive experience and expertise creating successful communications strategies for leaders in the industry.
Calypso is nationally recognized for its work in energy and environmental technology, serving both start-ups and well established clients in national and international markets. The agency’s client roster for strategic marketing, investor relations, crisis management, and graphic design services represents a full range of alternate and renewable energy, independent power, electric utility, energy venture capital, and environmental technology demands worldwide. These clients include companies active in municipal waste-to-energy, clean coal, natural gas, nuclear, biodiesel, wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, ethanol, and cellulosic ethanol technologies and services; a diverse portfolio with several clients on-hand at this year’s convention.
“RETECH 2010 attendees represent the core community for our client communications work,” said Kevin Stickney, founder of Calypso. “Our expertise has proven critical to the steady growth of stakeholder support for renewable energy, successfully developing new business and expanding the bottom line for our clients. This success has earned Calypso recognition as a highly sought-after resource and the energy and environmental technology industry’s premier, full-service marketing consultancy.”
The Renewable Energy Technology Conference & Exhibition is a co-production of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and TradeFair Group, an Access Intelligence company. RETECH 2010 brings together technology, business, finance, and policy committees across every sector of renewable energy, allowing industry leaders to discuss the finance, policy, and market challenges facing the industry in the year ahead. For more information please visit the conference website at www.retech2010.com.
Calypso Helps SASS Raise $20,000 for Prevention Programs
Calypso Helps SASS Raise $20,000 for Prevention Programs Read more
Pecha Kucha Returns to Seacoast with a Holiday Season Twist
Portsmouth’s fourth Pecha Kucha Night is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 7 p.m. on the third floor of the Portsmouth Gas Light Co. Read more
Calypso Communications Partners with National Healthcare Initiative to Create Web-Based Grassroots Campaign
Calypso Communications, a full-service marketing, public relations, and graphic design firm based in Portsmouth, recently designed and developed the web-based platform for the “Say ‘Yes’ to Health Reform” (www.sayyestohealthreform.com) national online video campaign. Calypso implemented efficient, open-sourced blogging software to make possible the 50-state collaborative effort by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) to illustrate broad public support for addressing the chronic disease crisis in the United States.
“Calypso’s work with the initiative leveraged web-based networking tools like Vimeo to demonstrate the flexibility of social media and the ability of such sites to support complex, multi-user campaigns,” said Mike Teixeira, creative director for Calypso. “Since the PFCD wanted to quickly elevate its presence in the healthcare reform debate, a micro-site built on these technologies was the perfect solution.”
The “Say ‘Yes’ to Health Reform” campaign is a grassroots effort that aims to bring awareness to the United States’ chronic disease crisis and the impact it has on the American people. The site streams video testimonials from citizens affected by chronic disease discussing their support for comprehensive health reform that improves affordability, access, and quality. These numerous, diverse individuals demonstrate the extensive reach of chronic disease management and prevention issues throughout the nation.
“The “Say ‘Yes’ to Health Reform” micro-site humanizes the issues our country is having with chronic disease,” said Paul Young, Calypso founder. It allows our nation’s policymakers to step back from the intensity of the debate in Washington and see the individual faces and voices behind the fight for improved chronic disease management and prevention nationwide.”
To date the “Say ‘Yes’ to Health Reform” campaign website houses more than 100 video testimonials from residents throughout the 17 states in which the PFCD has chapters: Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin. Additional videos will be continuously uploaded and sent to representative Congressional members for the duration of the health reform debate. Visit (www.sayyestohealthreform.com) for more information.
Zero Carbon Systems Engages Calypso Communications
Calypso Communications (www.calypsocom.com), a full-service marketing, public relations, and design agency, today announces its recent selection by Portsmouth-based Zero Carbon Systems for its strategic marketing expertise. Calypso will create the energy efficiency management firm’s visual brand identity and develop both print and online marketing tools as it prepares for international expansion.
“We provide a full complement of energy efficient solutions to the commercial, education, and government markets designed to reduce a property’s energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Ed Paslawski, founder and chairman of Zero Carbon Systems. “Calypso was selected to help us create our logo, collateral, and website because of its vast experience in the branding and alternate energy arena.”
Through the use of the Hallowell Commercial Combined Heating and Cooling System, Zero Carbon Systems works directly with clients to lower their heating and cooling expenses while virtually eliminating their carbon footprint. Zero Carbon Systems is the only commercial provider of this patented technology, which saves users up to 80 percent in monthly energy-related expenses.
“There is nothing like the Hallowell commercial system,” stated Jody Flynn, president of Zero Carbon Systems. “This system is the winner of the 2007 Dealer Design Award and the 2008 AHR Innovation Award. Every unit eliminates 7,000 pounds of greenhouse gases annually. With 300 percent efficiencies versus a natural gas maximum of 95 percent, this strategy leads the industry in all categories of heating and cooling solutions including geothermal.”
The Hallowell unit, when paired with Solar PV panels or other renewable energy sources, entirely eliminates a property’s HVAC greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy efficiency surveys and custom-designed solutions that include the integration and installation of solar photovoltaic panels, small wind turbines, weatherization and insulation, and high efficiency lighting and hot water systems are among the services offered by Zero Carbon Systems.
“Zero Carbon Systems successfully combines unique technology, knowledge, and entrepreneurialism in a way that will benefit both business and environment,” said Sharon Delaney, Calypso vice president of client services. “Calypso thrives on working with unique solutions providers in the world of sustainable energy. We are proud to assist this innovative company in its positioning for North American growth.”
Calypso’s environmental clients include industry leaders in clean coal, independent power, waste-to-energy, and other renewable energy fields, as well as early-stage startups in cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, tidal power, thin-film solar technology, and geothermal energy. The agency’s services for startup and early-stage clients typically encompass strategic business plan research, writing, and development; branding; interactive, web, and new media campaigns; and investor, analyst, and customer communications.
Calypso Communications Joins Forces with BreastCancerStories.org
Firm Will Raise Awareness for Fundraising Events Read more
Calypso Communications Partners with New Global Strategic Carbon Firm
Calypso Communications and Strategic Carbon Initiative, LLC (SCI) have teamed up to commercialize a science-driven enterprise that will serve international demand for carbon sequestration, methane hydrate energy exploration, and the assessment of natural ecosystem attenuation potential and protocol. Read more
Calypso Communications Wins 2009 Arc Award
Agency’s Outstanding Acheivement Recognized for Babcock Power Annual Report Read more
