Client Case Studies
The Resiliency Initiative has a diverse client base, with projects ranging from program design and plan development to employee training.
Current clients include a state-level emergency management agency, utility agencies, a coffee roasting company, several counties, and nonprofits.
Examples of different projects and clients are highlighted below.
Client: County Office of Emergency Services
Project: Develop Annexes to the Emergency Operations Plan
A County Office of Emergency Services (OES) sought to enhance its Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) to address evolving challenges and ensure alignment with state and federal guidelines. To achieve this, they engaged The Resiliency Initiative (TRI) to develop comprehensive annexes tailored to the county's specific needs and operational capabilities. The annexes provided clear, actionable guidance for addressing complex challenges, promoting inclusivity, and fostering stakeholder collaboration. TRI successfully developed five essential EOP annexes, significantly enhancing the county’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities.
Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Annex: Focused on identifying and addressing the unique needs of individuals with disabilities, older adults, and other vulnerable populations during emergencies.
Volunteer and Donation Management Annex: Established a framework for deploying volunteers effectively during disasters and developed guidelines for managing unsolicited donations, including sorting, storage, and distribution.
Animal Care and Shelter Annex: Created plans to ensure the safety and well-being of pets, livestock, and service animals during disasters by outlining procedures for setting up animal shelters, reuniting animals with owners, and providing veterinary care.
Recovery Annex: Outlined a phased approach to disaster recovery, including immediate, short-term, and long-term recovery strategies.
Emergency Support Function (ESF) Checklists: Developed concise, actionable checklists for each ESF to guide emergency response roles and responsibilities by providing a practical tool for use during incident response and training exercises.
Client: Pharmaceutical Company
Project: Develop and facilitate an executive crisis management training
TRI was contracted to develop and deliver a “Crisis Facilitator” training for the pharmaceutical company’s executive security and crisis management staff. The training was designed to introduce a new incident/crisis response role supporting the organization’s crisis leader during a disruption. Over the course of three months, TRI followed an iterative training development process, preparing a syllabus, the training content, quick action checklists, and a post-training survey. The content was tailored to meet the specific needs and align with the client’s existing crisis management and business continuity plans and practices. Two of TRI’s expert trainers facilitated an interactive three-hour training, which included three mini-tabletop exercises. The training was attended by executive staff from across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.
Client: Financial Education Nonprofit
Project: Enhance operational crisis resilience
As a nonprofit championing effective financial education and providing leadership, research and collaboration to advance financial well-being, it was important to this organization to continually enhance its operational resiliency. The nonprofit wished to standardize crisis management protocols across leadership, document communication during emergencies, and ensure staff had the same level of preparedness.
TRI met those objectives by creating an executive crisis playbook and a crisis communications matrix, designing and facilitating an executive leadership tabletop exercise, developing an all-staff training video on the organization’s Emergency Operations Plan, and providing on-call crisis communication support services.
The Executive Playbook is a “grab and go” playbook for synthesizing the response data in the Emergency Operations Plan for the Executive Leadership Team. This playbook highlighted crisis resources, emergency contacts, and response strategies for the organization's top risk themes. Accompanying the playbook, TRI also developed a wallet card for all executives outlining response basics (who to call when, where to go, etc.).
The Crisis Communications and Preparedness Matrix provided draft employee preparedness awareness messaging, recommendations on when to send messages, and crisis messaging templates to be ready to publish when a crisis occurs.
Through strategic planning and targeted interventions, this nonprofit successfully strengthened its crisis resiliency framework by equipping leadership with clear protocols, enhancing communication strategies, and engaging employees through training initiatives.
Client: County Water District
Project: Develop a COVID-19 After-action Report and Improvement Plan.
In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, TRI was contracted by a County Water District to develop a comprehensive After-action Report (AAR) and Improvement Plan. The primary objective was to evaluate the district's response to the pandemic and identify areas for improvement to enhance future crisis management capabilities. TRI employed a multifaceted approach to ensure the AAR was thorough and actionable. This included forming specialized working groups that focused on various operational aspects, conducting an employee-wide survey to gather firsthand insights and experiences, and securing leadership buy-in to facilitate the implementation of recommended improvements. These collaborative efforts ensured a holistic assessment of the district's pandemic response. As a result of this rigorous process with the County Water District, TRI successfully produced two critical documents: a state-compliant AAR that adhered to regulatory standards and guidelines and an organizational AAR tailored to the district's specific operational context and needs. This collaboration between TRI and the County Water District not only addressed immediate pandemic-related challenges but also strengthened the district's preparedness for future emergencies.
Client: State Recreation Conservation & Authority
Project: Develop an emergency response and evacuation plan for several newly designed recreational facilities to be built in a coastal community.
This project embodies the forward-thinking approach all new construction should follow. Located in a wildfire-prone area with limited egress options, the plan addresses the life safety and coordination pieces necessary to ensure the safe usage of the facilities once built. To address emergency protection, response, and evacuation, TRI is leading an inclusive planning process in alignment with city, county, and state regulations. TRI drafted an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) following site inspections and a hazard and vulnerability analysis (HVA). The EOP includes section-specific checklists and an Evacuation Annex and is part of the Environmental Impact Report. Once approved, TRI will conduct an on-site tabletop exercise to train responding agencies on the plan and its procedures.
Client: Global Education Franchise
Project: Develop and maintain a crisis management program for a global music education program, operating over 300 company-owned and franchised locations across 14 countries, including the US, Brazil, Australia, Taiwan, and Spain.
This project assembled, built, and grew the building blocks needed for a robust company-wide crisis management program. TRI created several products serving corporate and franchise locations, including an Executive Crisis Playbook, a high-level actionable guide for corporate C-Suite executives to respond to local, regional, and business-wide-level incidents; a Crisis Management Manual, an all-hazards plan covering the company’s overarching crisis management protocol, the concept of operations during a crisis, incident-specific action steps, and emergency response actions, along with appendices covering media guidelines, checklists, compassionate care resources, etc.; a Disaster Recovery Manual, plan with checklists for the corporate arm to address short to long-term system outages affecting business operations (e.g., Pike 13, Workplace, etc.); and a series of webinars training general managers and franchise owners on their emergency plan, how to effectively conduct all-hazard drills, etc. Using our white glove approach, TRI offers continued services on an ad hoc basis. We are currently preparing to lead two tabletop exercises for staff and franchisees at the company’s bi-annual conference.
Client: Wilderness Camp Nonprofit
Project: Conduct a full audit of a nonprofit’s existing emergency procedures along with a hazard and vulnerability analysis (HVA) to provide a final report with key, prioritized recommendations for enhanced planning efforts.
This project was led to safeguard the well-being of children with serious illnesses, staff, and volunteers at a year-round camp. The HVA was performed using ArcGIS, while the audit included a thorough review of all existing emergency planning documentation and gear, along with an on-site inspection of the facilities and geographic area, which, among other things, is at high risk for catastrophic earthquakes and landslides. TRI also inspected the administrative headquarters in Santa Monica, CA, and integrated considerations for effective coordination between both locations during a crisis.
Client: Tribal Housing Authority
Project: Develop a Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) for a Tribal Housing Authority, utilizing recent research techniques to integrate climate projections.
The client requested assistance with the creation of the HMP with an integration of social issues, including individuals dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues, as well as experiencing domestic violence, homelessness, and food insecurity. The TRI team engaged the three tribal communities spread across two rural counties. Due to the remote nature of these communities, we provided three in-person and virtual community meetings and a survey to ensure accessibility for all members who wanted to attend. Utilizing our technical knowledge and the community’s cultural expertise and experience, we created a Hazard Mitigation Plan that will open the door for additional funding for the Housing Authority.
Client: Publicly Traded Coffee Company
Project: Create a crisis management and business continuity program aligned with industry standards.
TRI enhanced the operational resilience of a leading coffee roasting and retail company by addressing challenges in shipping and receiving, inventory management, reliance on specialized equipment, and software redundancy. Through a comprehensive approach that included process mapping, business impact analysis, risk assessments, and prioritizing critical stock-keeping units (SKUs), TRI improved the company's ability to mitigate risks and streamline operations.
TRI’s work resulted in a more resilient supply chain, reduced the risk of critical failures, and ensured operational continuity despite disruptions. This strategic investment in resilience preserved business continuity and maintained high customer satisfaction through consistent product availability and quality, highlighting the importance of robust recovery strategies in safeguarding operations and ensuring the steady delivery of high-quality coffee products.
Client: Disaster Relief Agency
Project: Develop an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
The client requested assistance with the creation of an EOP. The client is a disaster relief agency that provides essential services across the US immediately following a disaster. Additionally, TRI wrote a childcare annex addressing the needs of children and families impacted by disasters, which the nonprofit shares with partner city and county agencies to be included in their EOP.
Understanding the unique needs and characteristics of the client's organization was crucial for this effort. The nonprofit’s mobile and dynamic nature required a different approach than traditional fixed-location EOPs. TRI leveraged its tailored approach to create an all-hazards plan, taking into account flexibility in location and partner-driven operations, highlighting the need for adaptability in disaster planning.
Client: Nonprofit
Project: Develop and facilitate a board-level tabletop exercise.
This engagement aimed to test the coordination between the nonprofit’s board and executive staff during a crisis.
This project consisted of an exercise that simulated several crisis events affecting youth during a multi-day backpacking excursion at a national park. Following a debrief, TRI produced an after-action report (AAR) to identify strengths and areas of improvement. Thanks to our deep bench and dynamic work approach, TRI was able to plan, facilitate and deliver the AAR within less than a month.
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