Most businessmen and women are naturally optimistic. We are planners who believe in the American dream if only we pursue our goals diligently and with much effort. We make plans and  prepare diligently to achieve our American dream through years of education, training and internships, all mixed in with a strong measure of daily persistence. We work hard and our families and communities benefit from our efforts and achievements. But while our primary focus in our careers naturally tends toward the creative, product development, growth and revenue-generating side of the business, it is easy to overlook the somber necessity of protecting what we already have.  This is where optimism about the future of your organization needs to be tempered with the cold reality of the rough and tumble world in which we live. Forces sometimes beyond our control must be considered in order to continue on and thrive.

In our view, businesses must be prepared to fulfill two roles in preparing for and responding to emergencies and disasters, whether they are natural or human-caused. The first role is to protect company assets, human and physical, if a disaster strikes the business itself or its key customers or suppliers. The second role is that of being a responsible corporate citizen acting on behalf of the larger community.

Companies that embrace both roles effectively are more resilient when disaster strikes and even find themselves in a position to assist the community in its response and recovery efforts. The 2011 Joplin, MO tornado, a catastrophic EF5-rated tornado killed 158 people, injured some 1,150 others, and caused damages amounting to a total of $2.8 billion. This event is one extreme, but not uncommon, example of a disaster that has recently struck our nation.  A study conducted shortly after the tornado struck, “Response and Recovery from the Joplin Tornado: Lessons Applied and Lessons Learned,” published in the Fall 2013 issue of The Independent Review, found that a rapid recovery occurred despite the massive devastation. “Businesses found innovative ways to reopen quickly, kept employees on payroll, and accommodated customers’ special needs…. The private sector provided 90 percent of the temporary housing and nonprofit organizations built more than 100 new homes for residents without adequate insurance.” City officials concentrated on clearing debris and reopening roads and schools, but otherwise stood back and let the private sector organize, plan and respond with little interference. Two years later, of the businesses that were damaged or destroyed, 500 had reopened, 30 decided to remain closed, and 145 new businesses, including many major employers had started up in Joplin.  Today, Joplin has not only gained back the population that was lost during and after the twister, but it has reached its highest total ever. The Joplin experience provides us with a model in resilience and successful recovery largely driven by the private sector.

CGS’ executives have many years of experience in aiding the public and private sectors during times of disaster, ranging from the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to the extreme wildfires of 2012 and the 100 year floods of 2013 that devastated a number of Colorado communities. Our planning, preparedness and response efforts enabled businesses to participate in the larger community­-wide partnership necessary to enhance their resilience and recovery.

It is not unusual to think that our governments – local, state and federal – will be there with the resources necessary to deal with a bad situation. As we have seen time and again though, government cannot protect us from everything and will not immediately and seamlessly restore conditions to their former, operational state. If business leaders intend for their companies to survive and even thrive after emergency or disaster events the responsibility is theirs to anticipate and prepare. This capacity to survive, recover and continue on builds value for stakeholders by demonstrating management’s commitment to making their companies less vulnerable to failure in the face of natural or human­-caused disaster.