University Teams with Crisis Communications Firm in New Offering

Did you attend a crisis communications seminar taught by Bruce Hennes, Thom Fladung or Stephanie York and Hennes Communications in the last few years?  If so, read below for information about how you can receive one free credit hour (valued at $525) towards a graduate certificate in crisis communication
from the prestigious Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University.

Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communication has partnered with Hennes Communications, a crisis communications firm based in Cleveland, Ohio, to offer professionals the opportunity to receive one credit hour at no cost (a $525 value) towards a 12-hour graduate certificate in crisis communication.  Through this partnership, participants who have attended selected seminars taught by Hennes Communications can apply to convert one hour of that seminar to one credit hour counted towards the online crisis communication certificate offered by Scripps College at Ohio University.

“Effective crisis communication is undoubtedly the most important element in managing a crisis. By establishing a strong academic foundation and acquiring real-life skills, professionals can better prepare and execute effective crisis communication strategies,” explained John Born, former director of Ohio’s Department of Public Safety, and current visiting assistant professor and executive-in-residence in the Scripps College of Communication and the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service.

Many of the seminars will be led by Bruce Hennes, CEO of Hennes Communications, one of the few firms in North America focused exclusively on crisis management and crisis communications. In recognition of his expertise, Bruce Hennes has been appointed as a research assistant professor within the Scripps College of Communication.

Hennes Communications has an impressive roster of past and present clients that includes Goodyear, NASA, Avery Dennison, United Way of Greater Cleveland, ThyssenKrupp, Interlake Steamship, the American Public Power Association and the Ohio School Boards Association.  With over 180 clients served annually from diverse market sectors, including numerous law firms, Hennes Communications excels at managing crises in today’s fast-paced media landscape.

“From accusations of fiscal or legal mismanagement, labor issues and board chair-executive director disputes to DEI controversies, mergers and acquisitions, cyberattacks and active shooter situations, we live in a world of immediate news, where everyone has a mobile phone and any incident can become a front-page story, a trending story on social media, or an all-hands management issue for the C-suite,” Hennes said. “Today, controversies are tried first in the ‘Court of Public Opinion’ before the ‘Court of Law’ and the skill set used by CEOs, directors and managers to earn their leadership roles isn’t the same skill set it takes to manage a crisis.”

Upon choosing to receive the credit hour, seminar participants will be contacted by a representative from Ohio University to guide them through the process and provide program information.  The crisis communication graduate certificate can be pursued as a standalone program or combined with other coursework to obtain a graduate degree in communication or organizational communication.

The online certificate program offers the flexibility of year-round enrollment, catering to the needs of working professionals.  It is particularly recommended for current and aspiring leaders in public-facing sectors such as education, healthcare, eldercare, law enforcement and government.

Hennes Communications seminars that count towards the Scripps College credit include “Crisis Communications for Senior Leaders,” “Crisis Management & Communications,” “Winning on Social Media: Crisis Management in an Echo Chamber” and “Crisis Communications in the Social Media Era.”

For more information about the partnership between the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and Hennes Communications: https://www.ohio.edu/scripps-college/crisis-credit

For more information about the 12-hour graduate certificate: https://www.ohio.edu/scripps-college/online/graduate-certificates/crisis-communication

For more information about Hennes Communications:  https://www.crisiscommunications.com

For more information about Bruce Hennes: https://www.ohio.edu/scripps-college/about/deans-office/bh042522ohio-edu

To get further, in-depth information and/or start the process (including applying the free credit hour), contact Bruce Hennes: hennes@crisiscommunications.com

Hennes Communications has partnered with the Indiana School Boards Association to provide crisis management and communications consulting services to public school districts in Indiana. The firm has similar relationships with the Ohio, Arizona and Florida School Boards Associations.

Hennes Communications works with school board chairs, superintendents, communications professionals and school attorneys with just one goal in mind: Protecting the district’s reputation by helping them communicate their story effectively.

Hennes Communications has an extensive track record of working closely with school districts and legal counsel, balancing best crisis management practices and the need to protect the interests of a school or district with today’s media and stakeholder demands for speed and transparency.

“I’m absolutely thrilled for our members to have the opportunity to benefit from Hennes Communications,” said Terry Spradlin, executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association. “Our schools and school boards need strategic communications counsel now more than ever, and the Hennes team is as smart and savvy as they come.”

Hennes Communications consultants are experienced professionals with long histories working in the news media, law, and strategic communications. The firm provides pre-crisis consulting, the creation of crisis communications plans, crisis/media training, communications audits, and 24/7 crisis response services to schools and school districts that are likely to suddenly find themselves “on trial in the Court of Public Opinion.”

Hennes Communications can be reached at (216) 321-7774 or fladung@crisiscommunications.com.

About Hennes Communications
Hennes Communications, founded in 1989, is one of the few firms in North America focused exclusively on crisis management and crisis communications. With deep, award-winning experience, the firm is staffed exclusively by senior-level consultants, working with clients across the continent and around the world. Learn more at www.crisiscommunications.com.

Bruce Hennes, Chief Executive Officer of Hennes Communications, has been named to the 2022 Lawdragon Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy and Consulting, the definitive guide to the experts in management, marketing, communication and recruiting most valued by law firm leaders. Hennes Communications, founded in 1989 and located in Cleveland, Ohio, is one of the few firms in North America focused exclusively on crisis management and crisis communications. This is the fourth year in a row that Hennes has been named to this prestigious list. The entire Lawdragon 100 list can be seen here.

Hennes was also named to the 2022 Lawdragon Hall of Fame.  According to Lawdragon, these are “the nation’s greatest corporate litigators, plaintiff powerhouses, innovators who established new areas of law practice and individuals whose dedication to a sometimes precarious legal system are unsurpassed.”

It is with great pride we announce that our colleague, Nora Jacobs, senior vice president of Hennes Communications, was recently awarded the prestigious Tom Duke Public Relations Achievement Award from the Akron Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Nora has a distinguished career providing strategic counsel to companies, associations, nonprofits and professional service firms to help them seize market opportunities and resolve obstacles to organizational growth. She is also a champion for PRSA’s Accreditation in Public Relations and has helped numerous local professionals earn this important designation.

The TOM DUKE PUBLIC RELATIONS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, established in 2019, celebrates the life and work of the late W. Thomas “Tom” Duke, who passed away in 2017. The Award recognizes and commemorates the achievements of an Akron, Canton, Kent, or Youngstown public relations professional or educator who has demonstrated outstanding service to the public relations industry through professional excellence, accomplished community involvement, and skillful leadership.

AWARD RECIPIENT CRITERIA:

• EXPERIENCE & CHARACTER: A minimum of 10 years of professional excellence in the public relations profession (as a practitioner or educator) in the local community.
• COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Has utilized their public relations knowledge, skills, and leadership to positively affect the local community through charitable projects and/or works.
• LEADERSHIP & SERVICE: Has served as a leader and/or mentor advancing the public relations profession in the local community.

Nora is a five-time Silver Anvil winner, the highest award given by the public relations profession. She has also received numerous other communications awards, including a Gold World Award from the International Public Relations Association. She has received the Distinguished Honors Alumni Award from Kent State’s Honors College, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Kent’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Davis Young Award for Exceptional Mentors from the Cleveland Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America in recognition of her work to help young professionals and others advance in the field,

FSBA Partners with Hennes Communications to Provide Issues Management, Crisis Management and Strategic
Communications Services to Membership

There are scores of reasons why your district
can be thrust into the news.

Lawsuit…sports controversy…social media threats…active shooter…board-superintendent clash…criminal accusation…discrimination complaints…
diversity issues…FERPA or HIPAA violation…protest…
fiscal mismanagement…sexual misconduct…student newspaper story…
challenging conversations…testing controversy…union grievance/strike…

Suddenly, there’s a TV crew in the parking lot, your local newspaper
is on Line One and the situation is already on Facebook.

FSBA is excited to introduce a new business partnership with Hennes Communications to provide issues management and strategic communications consulting services to public school districts throughout Florida facing sudden challenges to their reputations and operations.

Whether you are a small, rural district or a large district with a full communications department, Hennes Communications has an extensive track record of working closely with school boards, superintendents, communications professionals, and legal counsel in a cooperative framework with one goal in mind: Helping you communicate your story effectively to protect your district’s reputation in the face of today’s media and stakeholder demands for speed and transparency. We look forward to having Hennes participate in this year’s Annual Conference.

Andrea Messina, Executive Director of the Florida School Boards Association, said, “Hennes Communications offers smart strategic communication counsel to help our districts deal with a breaking crisis situation quickly and effectively. They put the truth, and the reputations of our districts, first.  Equally as important, they can be brought in to develop a communication strategy for any district need. Hennes Communications understands how to balance district credibility with fidelity to community.”

“The past two years have been the most challenging many educators have ever experienced,” said Hennes Communications Managing Partner Thom Fladung. “From COVID-19 mask mandates and critical race theory to tense and contentious politics spilling into the classroom, board of education meetings that drew little attention now require a police presence. And always looming is social media, where outrage comes naturally. We’ve worked with many schools, school districts and attorneys, so it’s rare that we encounter a situation we’ve not faced before. We know the value of telling the truth, telling it first and telling it fast.”

Amie Williamson, FSBA’s Communications Manager, said, “As I embark on assisting members with their communications needs, I am confident that Hennes Communications will be among the most valuable tools in our toolbox. Bruce Hennes and his team have exceeded our expectations at every step. I am confident Florida’s school districts will greatly benefit from their expertise.”

Hennes Communications consultants are experienced professionals with long histories working in the news media, in industry and in law. In addition to issues management and strategic communications, the firm provides pre-crisis consulting, the creation of crisis communications plans, crisis/media training, tabletop drills, 24/7 crisis response services, litigation communications support and communications audits to schools and school districts that are likely to suddenly find themselves “on trial in the Court of Public Opinion.”

Hennes Communications can be reached at (216) 321-7774 or
hennes@crisiscommunications.com

About Hennes Communications

Hennes Communications, founded in 1989, is one of the few firms in North America focused exclusively on crisis management and crisis communications. With deep, award-winning experience, the firm is staffed exclusively by senior-level consultants, working with clients across the continent and around the world.

About the Florida School Boards Association

The Florida School Boards Association, Inc. (FSBA) is a nonprofit corporation representing the elected school boards in Florida. FSBA has been the collective voice for Florida school districts since 1930 and is closely allied with other educational and community agencies to work toward improvement of education in Florida.

The mission of the Florida School Boards Association is to increase student achievement through the development of effective school board leadership and advocacy for public education.

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Bruce Hennes, CEO of Hennes Communications in Cleveland, was recently appointed to the board of OP3, the Ohio Public Private Partnership.

OP3 is a program of the Ohio Department of Homeland Security and the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

OP3 provides state and local government agencies, businesses, associations, colleges and universities the opportunity to engage in crisis disaster prevention, planning, response and recovery efforts which will promote business continuity, reduce recovery time, improve the quality of life and create a safer Ohio. OP3 includes partner organizations from each of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors. Disasters include cyber and terrorist attacks, fires, floods, explosions, disease outbreaks, tornadoes and other natural disasters and more. Click here for more information about OP3.

Hennes Communications is proud to announce that Chief Executive Officer Bruce Hennes has been named to the 2020 LAWDRAGON Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy and Consulting, the definitive guide to the experts in management, marketing, communication and recruiting most valued by law firm leaders.   This is the second year in a row that Hennes has been named to this prestigious list.

“It’s a real career capstone to be named to the LAWDRAGON 100,” said Hennes. “For more than 30 years, I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of teaching and counseling lawyers and other C-suiters on the subjects of strategic communications, crisis communications, litigation communications and issue management.”

Hennes’ service to the legal community includes membership on the executive committee of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, making him one of just a few non-attorneys to sit on the board of a major metropolitan bar association. Hennes also chairs the bar association’s governance committee and is a two-time recipient of their President’s Award. In addition, he is on the faculty of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Leadership Academy, has been a four-time keynoter for the American Bar Association’s Bar Leadership Institute in Chicago, has participated in the Winding River Managing Partner Bootcamp and annually has taught more than 40 continuing legal education seminars to law firms, and state and local bar associations across the country. He also has been published numerous times by the National Law Review.

For more, click here.

The Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) has entered into a strategic partnership with Hennes Communications to provide crisis management and communications services to public school systems throughout the state of Ohio facing sudden challenges to their organizations’ reputations and operations. With this partnership, OSBA member school leaders have access 365 days a year to expert crisis communications professionals.

“Today, schools face a range of threats — everything from social media firestorms and accusations of inappropriate behavior against a staff member to contentious ballot issues and prolonged negotiations with labor unions,” said Hennes Communications Chief Executive Officer Bruce Hennes. “When those events occur, stakeholders need to hear the school’s side of the story first. Our crisis management consultants are deeply experienced crisis professionals with long histories working in the news media, in industry and in law. We help clients tell the truth, tell it first and tell it fast.”

Hennes Communications provides pre-crisis consulting, the creation of crisis communications plans, media training and 24/7 crisis response services to scores of schools and districts that are likely to suddenly find themselves “on trial in the Court of Public Opinion.”

The firm has a deep track record of working closely with school boards and legal counsel, balancing best crisis management practices and the need to protect the interests of a school or district with today’s demands for speed and transparency.

“Our mission includes providing our members with important services that augment the talents of their district’s administrative staff,” said OSBA Chief Executive Officer Richard Lewis. “With Hennes Communications, our members have access to a team of crisis communications specialists at any time on any issue that needs an experienced perspective and specialized talents. Many of our members already have taken advantage of their expertise and we believe this new agreement will help more districts take advantage of the services the firm offers.”

Association Chief Legal Counsel Sara C. Clark added, “Hennes Communications comes to OSBA with deep experience providing school districts throughout the state and throughout the country with counsel that makes a difference. I’ve seen the firm work hand in hand with attorneys to develop and execute solid crisis management strategies that help preserve reputations and advance board objectives — all while helping staff, parents and the community understand the issues at hand and what is being done to address them. Simply put, Hennes Communications understands how attorneys think and how they practice law. Given their unique perspective, school districts already in or about to be faced with contentious issues would do well to have Hennes Communications in the room and alongside their lawyers.”

Hennes Communications can be reached at (216) 321-7774

Email: hennes@crisiscommunications.com

About Hennes Communications

Hennes Communications, founded in 1989, is one of the few firms in North America focused exclusively on crisis management and crisis communications. With deep, award-winning experience, the firm is staffed exclusively by senior-level consultants. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the firm works with clients across the U.S. and around the world.

Learn more at  crisiscommunications.com

About the Ohio School Boards Association

In its 64th year, OSBA leads the way to educational excellence by serving Ohio’s public school board members and the diverse districts they represent through superior service, unwavering advocacy and creative solutions.

Learn more at  ohioschoolboards.org

We are pleased to announce that Hennes Communications has been selected by Philadelphia Insurance Companies to assist their policy holders facing sudden challenges to their company or organizations’ reputation.

We were chosen, in part, because of our deep track record of working closely with legal counsel, balancing best crisis management practices and the need to protect the interests of Philadelphia Insurance Companies and its insureds with today’s demands for speed and transparency.

Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY), headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, PA, designs, markets, and underwrites commercial Property/Casualty and Professional Liability insurance products, incorporating value-added coverages and services for select industries. By maintaining a disciplined approach to business, they provide greater security for their policyholders and superior value for their shareholders.

• PHLY operates 50 offices strategically located across the United States to provide superior service
• Rated “A++” (Superior) by the A.M. Best Company
• Rated “A+” by Standard & Poor’s
• A member of the Tokio Marine Group, Japan’s oldest and leading Property/Casualty insurer and one of the 10 largest insurance groups in the world

Hennes Communications, founded in 1989, is one of the few firms in the U.S. focused exclusively on crisis management and crisis communications. With deep, award-winning experience, the firm is staffed exclusively by senior-level consultants. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the firm works with clients across the U.S. and around the world.

Firm’s Founder Bruce Hennes Becomes CEO

CLEVELAND, OHIO, January 10, 2018 – Hennes Communications, one of the few firms in the U.S. focused exclusively on crisis management and crisis communications, today announced that Thom Fladung has become a minority owner of the firm, assuming the role of managing partner. Bruce Hennes, who founded the firm in 1989, remains majority shareholder and now becomes the firm’s CEO.

Fladung joined Hennes Communications in 2015 as vice president, bringing more than 33 years of daily newspaper and digital media experience to the crisis management team at the agency. He served as a top editor at some of the nation’s largest newspapers. Over the past decade, Fladung also played a lead role in the digital evolution of newsrooms to meet the demands of readers who get their news on the web, social media and smartphones.

“I’m ready to dive in and continue growing our skills at helping clients handle crises and controversial issues that threaten their reputations,” Fladung said. “Hennes Communications has succeeded to this point because we don’t lose focus. Protecting our clients’ reputations in a time of crisis – and their bottom line – is what we do every day.”

Most recently, Fladung served as managing editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the newsroom beginning in February 2011. Prior to that, he was editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, managing editor of the Detroit Free Press and managing editor of the Akron Beacon Journal. He has also held a variety of editing and reporting positions at those and other newspapers and has reported on business, politics, state government, crime and courts and sports.

Fladung has led newsrooms of more than 300 journalists and has directed dozens of award-winning investigations, breaking news stories, human interest stories and features. Highlights include helping direct six journalists reporting from the Iraq war after the invasion in 2003 for the Detroit Free Press; leading coverage during the Northeast blackout of 2003 in Detroit, and getting the newspaper out with no power; and overseeing coverage of the Minneapolis bridge collapse of 2007 while serving as editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

“Thom has it all. He’s intimately familiar with the relentless content requirements of the 24/7 news cycle, and he understands how to use Facebook, Twitter and other social media – places where reputations can be burnished or blistered in moments,” said Hennes. “And he’s been working on tight deadlines his entire career, so he knows how to quickly gather and evaluate complex information to craft effective, strategic messages. These crisis management skills are critically important for clients coping with reputation management issues and breaking crises.”

A native of Canton, Ohio, Fladung is a graduate of the University of Dayton. He is currently president of The Press Club of Cleveland and served on the board of the Ohio Newspaper Association. In 2017, Fladung received the Communicator of the Year award from the International Association of Business Communicators. He is a graduate of Leadership Cleveland, Class of 2013, and Leadership Akron, Class of 2002.

Hennes said the timing for the change felt right. “Over the last few years, we’ve fielded multiple inquiries from firms interested in buying our agency,” he said. “While selling to a larger firm has obvious financial appeal, I’d much rather keep our award-winning crisis management team intact and locally owned. Personally, I plan to stick around for another 10 years, though working a wee bit less than 60 hours a week, with lessened client and management responsibilities, and more opportunity to focus on crisis training and new client acquisition.”

Fladung said he still has plenty to learn and admires the skills and experience his colleagues at the crisis communications firm bring to their work.  “Together, we are a formidable team. I’m honored to help continue what Bruce Hennes began nearly 30 years ago. Under his leadership, Hennes Communications has grown into a boutique firm that punches above its weight, serving more than 130 clients a year across the U.S. and around the world. We’re ready to build on that legacy of helping clients in crisis.”

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About Hennes Communications

Hennes Communications is a crisis management and crisis communications consulting firm based in Cleveland with a second office in Akron. Serving corporations, government agencies and nonprofits that are “on trial” in the Court of Public Opinion, Hennes Communications also offers litigation communication support, media training, pre-crisis preparation and crisis drills to clients.

In 2009, Hennes Communications won the coveted “Best of Show” award from the Cleveland Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for its work with another agency on the national peanut butter recall. Hennes Communications also won Gold “Rocks” awards in 2010 and 2011 for its work on behalf of The MetroHealth System and Saint Joseph Academy.  In 2012, the firm won another Gold “Rocks” award for its Crisis Management Today newsletter.  In 2013, the firm won PRSA’s Gold “Rock” award and the “Best of Show” award for its work on a ferry boat crash.  In 2014, the firm won its 6^th Gold “Rocks” award for a program it created and carried out for a forestry client in Australia.  And in 2017, the firm received two Silver Anvil awards from the Public Relations Society of America for their work on behalf of the Cleveland Host Committee for the Republican National Convention.

For more information, please go to www.crisiscommunications.com.

Bruce Hennes, chief executive officer of Cleveland-based Hennes Communications, has been named one of 50 “Game-Changers of PR for 2017” by PRNews, one of the public relations profession’s leading news sources.

According to PRNews, “With a career in public relations spanning nearly 30 years, Bruce Hennes has earned his stripes as a crisis management expert. He has been confidant to scores of CEOs, executive directors, government officials and other leaders who trust his expertise in preserving and protecting an organization’s reputation. His long experience has convinced him that honesty, fairness and transparency must be at the root of all effective crisis communications.”

Our firm was proud to be part of the communications team, led by one of our clients, Destination Cleveland, that accepted two Silver Anvil Awards last week in New York City in recognition of the work done to support the 2016 Republican National Convention (RNC), held here in July 2016.

The two awards, one for the best Integrated Communications program and one for the best program in the category of Events and Observances – Fewer than Seven Days, recognized the collaborative effort that extended for almost two years to create a communications campaign designed to take the RNC beyond politics and use it as an opportunity to showcase Cleveland to visitors and generate local pride.

Crisis management and communications indeed fit within the public relations rubric.  However, the strategies and methodologies employed by those in the crisis industry often differ from the traditional practice of public relations.

In a recent interview, managing partner Bruce Hennes discusses the firm’s philosophy and strategic approach to risk mitigation, crisis response and client service. You can read that interview here.

Stephanie York is now consultant-in-charge of our new office in Akron, Ohio.  Located in the AES Building at 388 S. Main Street, York most recently serving as director of communications and public relations for Cleveland Clinic Akron General.  York also was director of communications for the City of Akron. She also brings in-house legal expertise to Hennes, having worked as assistant director of law for the City of Akron.  Add to that her background in governmental relations, social media management, strategic planning and implementation, community relations and disaster preparation – as well as having a law degree – we now have another powerful set of tools for clients who need help with crisis management.

Stephanie was recently profiled in Crain’s Cleveland Business. Read the interview here.

Stephanie York, a communications professional with extensive experience and deep ties in the Akron area, is joining Hennes Communications as vice president. The firm, which specializes in crisis management and communications, is expanding its team and opening an office in Akron. York brings to that challenge years of communications work in Akron, most recently serving as director of communications and public relations for Cleveland Clinic Akron General.

York also was director of communications for the City of Akron, working with then-Mayor Don Plusquellic. She also brings in-house legal expertise to Hennes, having worked as assistant director of law for the City of Akron.

Thomas Fladung has joined Hennes Communications as vice president. Fladung brings more than 33 years of daily newspaper and digital media experience to the agency, having served as a top editor at some of the nation’s largest newspapers such as the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Detroit Free Press.

Fladung has overseen newsrooms of more than 300 journalists and has directed dozens of award-winning investigations, breaking-news stories, human interest stories and features. Highlights include helping direct six journalists reporting from the Iraq war after the invasion in 2003 for the Detroit Free Press, where he served as managing editor; leading coverage during the Northeast blackout of 2003 in Detroit and getting the newspaper out with no power; and overseeing coverage of the Minneapolis bridge collapse of 2007 while serving as editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Hennes Paynter Communications, one of the few firms in the U.S. focused exclusively on crisis communications and reputation management, today became Hennes Communications.  The firm also offers litigation communications and media training services to its clients that are “on trial” in the Court of Public Opinion.  The change follows the departure of former partner Barbara Paynter, who will continue her career with her own consultancy, where she will focus on public relations and other communications work.

Howard Fencl used to eat brown-bag lunches with Cleveland broadcast legend Dorothy Fuldheim.

He’s also crossed paths with Al Roker and Dick Feagler, and watched audition tapes from Jim Donovan, who at one time was just a “kid” trying to land a job in Cleveland.

After four tours of duty in local television at WKYC-TV and WEWS-TV in Cleveland and WBNS-TV in Columbus, Fencl has seen it all.

For the sixth year in a row, Hennes Paynter Communications has won a Gold Rocks Award from the Public Relations Society of America, Greater Cleveland Chapter.  The firm was recognized for a program it created and carried out for a forestry client in Australia.

The company retained Hennes Paynter after media coverage erroneously reported that large numbers of koala bears had been killed or injured during tree harvesting at the company’s plantations.  Although news reports were exaggerated, the misinformation spread rapidly, leading to the suspension of an important industry certification – a move that threatened the company’s reputation and its market share.

Hennes Communications received the coveted “Best of Show” award at the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America’s annual Cleveland Rocks Awards ceremony for its work on behalf of a ferry boat operator.  The same campaign was awarded a Gold “Rocks” award in the crisis communications category.