Beacon Capital Partners is one of the country's pre-eminent
owners of high-profile office buildings around the country. We have
developed crisis communications plans for 60+ properties,
tested those plans through table-top exercises involving building
staff, first responders, abutting institutions and mass transit. We
have managed crises including fires, construction accidents,
physical and sexual assaults, serious injuries, suicides and
deaths, white powder, noro-virus, bed bugs and measles. We are on
call 24/7, directing both internal tenant response and external
communications in a host of challenging situations.
SM& built, from the ground up, the complete crisis
communications program for Beacon Capital, helping place them at
the vanguard of property owners for crisis planning and
response. Beacon Capital became the first real estate firm
recognized for "Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology" by the
Department of Homeland Security. Our work was included in the
review.
SM&'s protocols and on-the-ground responsiveness were put to
the test in May 2006, when an employee working for one of the
tenants in the John Hancock Tower - Boston's iconic skyscraper,
then-owned by Beacon Capital Partners - was diagnosed with the
measles. Over the next month and a half, 14 more cases emerged, the
city's worst outbreak since 1989, with the client's most famous
property as the epicenter. Not only did the outbreak threaten to
get out of control, but so did the media coverage and tenant
concerns. Careful crisis management was required to protect this
company's impeccable reputation.
SM& was seamlessly integrated with the team, and had built a
relationship of trust and reliance. Though the outbreak was
unforeseen, Beacon Capital knew to call SM& on the first day of
the crisis to involve the firm in the strategy sessions with
top-level executives and Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC)
officials. Day after day, the outbreak lead local print and
broadcast news, and it was picked up across the country. If tenants
were confident in building management's response and if they were
being regularly informed, then the chances of a disgruntled tenant
going to the press were decreased. So we placed a premium on
disseminating accurate, timely information from the BPHC.
In order to effectively help our client ensure a smooth response,
SM& assisted the BPHC in locating a vaccination clinic adjacent
to the building to allow 1,000 employees to get vaccinated in the
early days of the outbreak.
When the spread was contained, 625 stories had run locally and
nationally. Not a single one mentioned our client. There was no
litigation as a result of our sound internal and external
communications. One vendor, working in the building, threatened a
claim for lost wages (he had not be vaccinated for measles so was
not allowed in the building). The insurance company rejected the
claim after reviewing all the internal communications we had
generated. The BPHC Executive Director commended our agency's
involvement and willingness to cooperate.