Daniel Keeney

The vultures are circling the reeling Costa Cruises brand following the wreck earlier this month. There is already plenty of analysis of what transpired so I won’t retrace those steps. But I do want to examine one seemingly minor aspect of the crisis response that offers an important lesson for crisis communicators. In the days following the mishap, company spokespersons sought to alleviate the concerns of those who had been scheduled to go on a future cruise of the Costa Concordia. For those who no longer wanted to go on a future cruise, the company offered a full refund. For those who did want to continue with their plans for a cruise, they offered a 30 percent discount. Somehow this ended up getting all mixed up and it created unnecessary challenges for crisis communications responders. A report, “Costa Concordia: ‘insulting’ cruise offer to survivors,” in The T... (more)

ERHC Energy Inc. Updates Shareholders on Progress

ERHC Energy Inc. (OTCBB: ERHE), a publicly traded American company with oil and gas assets in Sub-Saharan Africa, has issued the following update on Company activities from Peter Ntephe, chief executive officer. To ERHC Shareholders: I am pleased to update the investment community and other interested parties on ERHC Energy Inc. Chad ERHC continues to make significant strides towards commencement of the exploration program on our Chad Blocks. Following evaluation of available data related to our three blocks -- BDS 2008, Chari Ouest III and Manga -- the current indications are ... (more)

Saint Arnold Brewing Company Production Surpasses 40,000 Barrels in 2011

Saint Arnold Brewing Company (www.saintarnold.com), the oldest craft brewery in Texas, today reported record shipments of more than 40,000 barrels of beer in 2011. The year-over-year increase of approximately 9,000 barrels is roughly equivalent to what the brewery produced in all of 2004, representing a 29 percent boost in overall production. The 2011 production is equal to all of the beer produced by the brewery during its first 9 years (from 1994 to 2002). It was the biggest growth spurt since the brewery recorded a 30 percent increase in 2007. All 11 of the brewery’s year-rou... (more)

The Aldridge Company Signs MOU to Move Chinese Companies to the Cloud

The Aldridge Company, a provider, consultant and integrator of Information Technology and Cloud Computing solutions for SMBs, has announced it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Shanghai Lingang Economic Development (Group) Co., Ltd. (SLED) to help advance cloud computing in the Pudong district of Shanghai. The Aldridge Company is among a dozen organizations joining forces to form the Shanghai Lingang Free Trade Port Economic Development, which will develop a new state-of-the-art data center designed for cloud computing. Under the terms of the MOU, The... (more)

Thirteen Is a Lucky Number for Texas Craft Beer Fans

Just in time for Halloween, Saint Arnold Brewing Company (www.saintarnold.com) will resurrect one of its dearly departed brews. But Saint Arnold Pumpkinator is no zombie of a beer. Formerly released as Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 9 nearly two years ago, Pumpkinator is slated for the first of what will be an annual pre-holiday release on Thursday, October 13, 2011. Saint Arnold Pumpkinator is an Imperial Pumpkin Stout Ale. There are a number of firsts associated with Saint Arnold Pumpinator's release, including: - The first new seasonal brew introduced by Saint Arnold since th... (more)