Hurricane Irene wound up by most estimates as one of the top ten most destructive and deadly hurricanes to hit the United States since 1980. While ultimately not as powerful as many had predicted, the storm still killed at least 27 people along its path from the Caribbean to the eastern seaboard.

Transportation was shut down all along the east coast, stranding residents and tourists in shelters, airports, and train stations. More than 5.8 million customers lost electricity, thousands of flights were cancelled, flooding washed out roads and destroyed homes, and evacuation orders were issued for hundreds of thousands.

Amongst all this confusion sat the Lallo’s.

After dropping Alex at Mitchell College in New London, Ct on a beautiful Friday, Adrienne and Ed decided to cancel longstanding reservations on the Cape Cod seashore. After a long debate on going inland to the Berkshire Mountains, or hunkering down in Boston – Boston was chosen, and good thing because the Berkshire Mountains were pounded by heavy rain and flooding.

Having been at college for just two-days, New London was close to Irene’s landfall. The picturesque college sits right on the bay, but damage was limited to a fallen tree and loss of power for one day.

In Boston, Irene landed with more hype than happening. Downtown Boston was hit with gusting winds and torrential downpours – the brunt was over by noon on Sunday resulting in limited damage.

Late Sunday morning tourist ventured out of hotel rooms to survey the remnants of Irene and found whitecaps in the Habor light rain and Dim Sum available at Winsor Dim Sum in Chinatown.

BearCom's is one of Sprint's largest resellers for products such as the Samsung Galaxy Android Tablet.

Kent Huffman, the CMO at BearCom Wireless, vividly remembers the day several years ago when Ed Lallo, the photographer (and founder of The News Group Net and Newsroom Ink) he hired for a corporate photo shoot, offered to show him how to use Twitter.

Huffman watched, learned, acted on the information.

Today, he is one of the most followed practicing CMOs on the Internet with more than 20,000 followers.

He also is the founder and co-publisher of the Social Media Marketing Magazine, which he hopes, with the help of a little social media marketing, will become THE resource for social media marketing.

To read the entire B2Bbuzz article click here.

Peter Altabef, Ross Perot, Jr. and Ross Perot.

While photographing a recent assignment in Dallas, I was informed by my good friend Kent Huffman, CMO at BearCom Wireless Worldwide, that Peter Altabef was leaving the CEO position at Dell Services, formerly Perot Systems.

Both Kent and I hold Peter in high regard. Before joining BearCom, Kent worked in the marketing department at Perot and I had photographed the Perot Annual Report for a number of years.

I have great respect for Peter, not only because he is an avid photographer, but because he had one of the most difficult jobs in the country; following Ross Perot as CEO of Perot Systems. Peter Altabef joined Perot Systems in 1993 and became president and chief executive officer in September 2004.

Under Peter’s leadership, Perot Systems has expanded its global presence, with operations in more than 25 countries, $2.8 billion of annual revenue in 2008, and more than 23,000 associates.

During photo shoots, Peter had a friendly, respectful attitude toward my work as a photographer. He was interested in learning and sharing photo stories, and even let me borrow a new lens he had just acquired.

Perot Systems was an incubator for photo interests. John King, a founder and VP in the company, was never without a camera. Also, he was a natural “heat seeker” on acquiring the latest photographic tools.

I am sure that Peter’s fellow co-workers will miss him.   I hope that this change will allow him to spend more time behind the lens of the camera.

It was with great sadness that I read in the online edition of the Lafayette, La Daily Advertiser of the upcoming closing of Imperial Sugar’s Gramercy, La sugar refinery on December 31st of 2010; Imperial’s refinery employs 203 hourly worker; 69 salaried worker; and 11 temporary hourly workers.

I formed close relationships with many of the employees at the refinery while working on stories for Imperial Sugar’s online newsroom. From the top of the char house to the raw storage warehouses; I can honestly say that none of Imperial associates I met were unpleasant, rude or disengaged. To a sole, everyone was proud of the work they performed and eager to share stories of there work and lives.

When I left to form Newsroom Ink, it knew I would miss the great people at not only the Imperial Gramercy plant, but also the Port Wentworth, Ga and Sugar Land, Tx operations.

“LSR (Louisiana Sugar Refining) has not yet decided how many of Imperial’s existing employees will be rehired,” said Clint Woods, an Imperial spokesperson. “Those decisions will be made following review of qualifications versus experience requirements to operate the technologies utilized in the new refinery. How many total positions LSR will create has also not been finalized but technology improvements will likely result in a net total reduction in employment versus today.”

LSR, the newly created partnership between Cargill, Imperial and the Louisiana Sugar Growers, would benefit from the knowledge and experience that these associates have to offer. After spending countless hours in the Gramercy/Lutcher community, I know that LSR and the community will work together to create a stronger more vibrant sugar refining industry.

Bill Calder, Editor of Intel's Online Newsroom, Free Press

A recent Wall Street Journal Digits blog by Don Clark, Intel Establishes Its Own Free Press, led to an in-depth discussion of online newsrooms between Newsroom Ink’s founder Ed Lallo and Bill Calder, managing editor of Intel’s Free Press.

During their hour long discussion, Calder expressed his vision for Free Press as a 24-hour resource that local, national and international press can access stories, photos, video and story ideas. He hopes to generate articles that have interests for professional media outlets to republish with subject matter related to Intel, or technology in general.

“If the New York Times visits our site looking for a technology story idea and doesn’t use our post, but instead uses it as a resource for their own story, that’s ok, maybe we influenced them in the process,” explains Calder, a former newspaper correspondent for the The (Portland) Oregonian.

Calder praised the groundbreaking work that Lallo, and Newsroom Ink, did with Imperial Sugar’s Newsroom and Louisiana Seafood News. “I am really impressed with the layout and content of both sites. I especially like the creative use of video on the sites.”

Intel also maintains a dynamic pressroom optimized for social media that posts all the conventional press releases, blogs, tweets, presentations and marketing materials. Free Press is about putting more context behind that news and was developed largely in response to a perception that a diminishing number of news outlets have less time, personnel and space to take on many technology topics in depth.

“We are Intel geeks at heart, taking an editorial approach to producing stories with journalistic style and integrity, and doing it as objectively as possible while being transparent about who we work for,” states a mission statement on the site.

Intel Free Press writers are members of Intel’s PR team with previous journalism experience, but Calder says others at Intel may contribute, including other former journalists who have ended up at the company over the years in various departments. Visitors to Free Press are encouraged to freely reuse any of the articles, images or videos posted.

“We are not going to do press release journalism,” says Calder. “I like the length of the stories I have seen on Louisiana Seafood News, and we’re still looking to keep our own technology articles to a more manageable size.”

Calder and Lallo both agree that the key to making the dynamic online newsroom work is using the voice of others to successful tell the company’s story.

“The sheer speed, volume and rapid dissemination of information that inundates communications and sways public opinion, and journalists, calls for an outlet that tells the company story from their unique prospective,” explains Lallo, “the dynamic newsroom is just such an outlet.”

In his interview with the Wall Street Journal, Calder described his vision for the kind of story he would like to see in the Free Press.

When Intel releases its next big chip, family–code-named Sandy Bridge, the kind of story the Free Press would do might be on, say, a plucky female engineer in Israel who faced challenges while dreaming up the graphics circuitry on the product. I want that story,” Calder says.

What he does not want is an article whose point is that Intel’s clever chip design will transform the world of computing and make consumers all happy. “No, shoot me now,” Calder says.

To visit Newsroom Ink please click here.

Ewell Smith, director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, is interviewed by BBC Radio reporter, Robyn Bresnahan.

The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board has found through extensive research done by Cision, a leading media tracking firm, that for the months of July through September 2010, media exposure of Louisiana seafood had achieved over 3000 interviews and an unbelievable estimated number of more than 3.4 billion repeated impressions in the United States.

In the days following the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the Seafood Board recognized that American’s long association of homemade jambalaya and Southern hospitality with Louisiana seafood, might turn instead to the BP oil spill disaster.

The lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, which for more than four years set back the Louisiana seafood industry brand confidence and market share, drove the board to react quickly to the oil that quickly entered fishing areas.

To combat the myriad of media images portraying polluted waters and dying wildlife, the Seafood Board raced to produce media coverage of its own to demonstrate that there’s more to the Gulf Coast than hazards and hardships.

The creation of the LouisianaSeafoodNews.com was instrumental in establishing a voice for the industry, and telling stories that otherwise would never be heard. It gave a voice to fishermen, experts, board members as well as a central place for the media to find stories, photos, videos and story ideas.

Following the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, the organization was inundated with more than 3000 interview requests. In an effort to provide accurate information and keep the public up-to-date, it remained committed to thoroughly answering every inquiry –- an effort that paid off.

Louisiana Seafood Board's media report from Cision media services.

“I think, without question, the media coverage has been unprecedented,” says Board Director Ewell Smith. “And the 3.4 billion figure doesn’t even count international media coverage. We’ve talked to BBC, Tokyo TV, Al-Jazeera and CTV in Canada — all multiple times.”

Smith says that it was easier to spread the organizations message during the early stage of the crisis because media outlets already were in Louisiana. Now, the challenge is finding new ways to share Louisiana’s story.

Last month the Seafood Board invited chefs from around the country to New Orleans for an up-close look at the state of seafood. Hosted by White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford – the nation’s “first chef” – and her first assistant in the kitchen, chef Tafari Campbell, more than a dozen other prominent chefs from across the country toured the Gulf waters near Slidell, Louisiana.

And while their effort is far from over, Smith believes that they’ve already accomplished a great deal.
“We know our messages are cutting through the noise,” he says. “And we know we’re helping to drive the conversation forward — and that’s the most important thing.”

Read the LouisianaSeafoodNews.com story.

• The shooting at The University of Texas at Austin on September 28…
• Various highway incidents across the state…
• The Imperial Sugar Company’s plant explosion in Georgia…
• Maintaining pipeline safety and allaying public fear…
• Living with the daily possibility of airline disasters…
• Ensuring public safety at the Austin City Limits Music Festival…
• Responding to hurricanes, tornadoes and other calamities…

What do all these events have in common? You’ll have the rare occasion to hear from the crisis communication experts who handled them, including a panel discussion that includes Ed Lallo, partner in Newsroom Ink. All in one place. All in one day.

Legacy Park Memorial bronze statue entitled “Hands and 14 Doves”, at the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Ga. in memory of the 14 associates that died in the explosion.

The creation of the Imperial Sugar Newsroom by Lallo and his partners, successfully addressed issues being faced by Imperial Sugar eighteen months after the tragedy of February 7, 2008 that killed 14 employees at the company’s Port Wentworth, Ga refinery.

While on a tour of the Port Wentworth, Ga refinery eight days after becoming president and CEO of Imperial Sugar, John Shepton was meeting with employees in the 100-year-old facility. A little after 7 p.m., a series of explosions ripped through the refinery nearly costing Sheptor his life.

The sugar packing house of refinery was leveled and fires burned for a week afterward. The tragic events of that evening set in motion two years of corporate turmoil, which came close to destroying Imperial Sugar.

Lallo will join other Texas Public Relations Association crisis communicators for “Help – the Sky is Falling!” on November 12 at the Hyatt Regency on Ladybird Lake, in Austin, Texas.

This breakthrough professional development opportunity offers a host of seasoned professionals. They’ll share their secrets in managing the unexpected. And hone your crisis-response skills by working a hands-on crisis simulation.

Lallo ed@newsroomink.com will join Don Martin of Don Martin Public Affairs, Rhonda Weldon of The University of Texas at Austin, Tela Mange from Texas DPS,  and Anita Foster of the Dallas Red Cross. The panel will be moderated by Sarah Russ from Austin’s Phillips & Company.

Where else can you get a full day of crisis management training for less than $200*? Nowhere but Texas!

So don’t delay. This deal won’t last long. Prices go up November 3.

DATE: Friday, November 12
TIME: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. for the training portion
5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Demim and Dice
After the training concludes, your ticket admits you to Denim & Dice, a casino night fundraiser benefitting the education and professional development of PR students in Texas.
PLACE: The beautiful Hyatt Regency on Lady Bird Lake in Austin

Secure your spot while seats are still available by registering now at http://www.tpra.com.

The feeling in my stomach must be what parents feel when their child leaves home to venture out in the world on their own.   After spending 18 months of working closely with the staff of Imperial Sugar on the newsroom as a partner in The News Group Net, today is the first day of the ISC Newsroom under new leadership.

I am proud of  helping establish a dynamic online newsroom that was open and transparent.  It was a  “proof of concept” that even today has no equals. The former partnership at The News Group Net, was a one of a kind experience that ended badly and way to soon.

The importance of the Imperial Sugar newsroom in re-establishing Imperial Sugar as a major player in the sugar industry has been documented in both internal and external studies.   The newsroom not only serves the news media, but all stakeholders including associates, vendors, customers and shareholders.

I am sure that the leadership of Imperial will continue the high quality newsroom that we created.  The my partners and I at Newsroom Ink encourage everyone to continue to follow the newsroom and wish the company continued success.

Adrienne celebrates her new promotion to Communications Manager for the Seton Family of Hospitals.

After four years at Seton, my wife Adrienne has been promoted to Communications Manager for the Seton Family of Hospitals.  Her new responsibilities will include managing the internal and external communications for the 24 clinical locations Seton operates  throughout Central Texas. Seton is a member of Ascension Health, the largest not-for-profit health network in the nation.

"Escape in Style", the dockominium on Lake Texhoma of Kent and Judy Huffman.

When Kent Huffman, Chief Marketing Officer at BearCom, invited Adrienne and I to a spend a weekend on Lake Texhoma at their “dockominium”, I had know idea what to expect.

Ed and Adrienne enjoying the jet ski for the first time.

According to Wikipedia, a dockominium is the water-based version of a condominium. Rather than owning an apartment in a building, one owns a boat slip on the water. The term is a portmanteau of “dock” and “condominium.” In addition to the exclusive right to use the boat slip, ownership also provides one with the right to use the common elements of the marina, much the same as one would have the right to use the common areas in a residential condominium development. Additionally a unit owner may use, rent or sell their unit at any time, subject to association approval.

Kent and Judy Huffman’s dockominium, “Escape in Style”, is a comfortable, well furnished and fun weekend home. It is however more “dock” than “minium”, housing a 29’ Sea Ray and a Sea-Doo jet ski under a aluminium roof. The cozy “minium” part is exactly that, minimum. One large room that has been divided into a combination living/sleeping area and a kitchen/dining area. Although small it is very functional and well decorated. It even has a shower, two wash basins and a toilet that burns your waste. Very impressive use of a limited amount of space.

Kent Huffman enjoys the warm water of Lake Texhoma.

After an afternoon of sun, swimming, jet-skiing and just generally relaxing on the calm waters of Lake Texhoma, Judy and Kent treated Adrienne and I to superbly grilled cheeseburgers. I know they were superb because I ended up as the chef that grilled them.

Sitting outside on the back deck enjoying a cool drink and great conversation, we watched the lake water fade into darkness and the nearby dockomiums illuminate with colored lights of various shapes and colors. Before retiring to the cabin of the Sea Ray for our evening nap, Adrienne and I showered in what had to be the tiniest prefab shower made. My 6’6 frame barely fit, but the water was hot and somehow I came out clean.

A dockominium is indeed the best of both worlds, and I could definitely get used to spending a weekend away from it all. The downside of Lake Texhoma is the 4 1/2 hour drive from Austin. I wonder if they have dockominiums on Lake Travis?

PS. Kent and Judy will be putting their boat, jet ski and dockominium up for sale soon. If you might be interested drop Kent an email at: kentandjudy@huffman.com.

For those that would really like a tour of the Dockominium: