How AEC Firms Can Communicate Urgently Yet Empathetically in the Wake of a Natural Disaster

When an architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firm is awarded a major contract to repair natural disaster-related damage, it’s more than just a business opportunity—it’s a responsibility that requires careful, empathetic communication with the affected community. 

In the wake of a disaster, emotions run high, and public trust can be fragile. How an AEC firm communicates with the public can significantly impact a project’s success and its relationship with the community and project owner.

CLIENT: A half-billion-dollar heavy civil contractor specializing in design-build. Throughout its history, Superior Construction, a fourth-generation family-owned business, has been building America’s infrastructure and successfully delivering projects across numerous markets and regions.

CHALLENGE: On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian hit Florida’s southwestern coast as a Category 4 storm. Its damaging winds and catastrophic storm surge claimed more than 150 lives and caused $112 billion in damage. It also washed away portions of Sanibel Causeway, a three-mile series of bridges, leaving some locals stranded on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. 

On October 4, 2022, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) selected Superior Construction and the de Moya Group as its preferred contractors to complete the Sanibel Causeway emergency repairs in the state’s first-ever progressive design-build contract. While the contractor was honored to be selected for the work, they did not want to tout this achievement in a way that would be insensitive to those affected.

OUR SOLUTION: Before the contract award was made public, the Reputation Ink team prepared a public relations strategy to capitalize on the national exposure this monumental project and its complex scope of work would garner.

After distributing the press release announcing the completion of the temporary Sanibel repairs, our team secured dozens of interviews with national outlets, all while collaborating with FDOT to ensure Superior’s messaging aligned with the owner and the project managers could focus their efforts on restoring this critical infrastructure link. 

In the following weeks and months, we maintained contact with publications that featured the initial project award press release to secure additional features when the emergency and long-term roadway repairs were completed, maximizing visibility and impact. 

How we added value: This type of national media exposure was new to our client. It was also the state’s first-ever progressive design-build project and a highly politicized project, with a gubernatorial election around the corner. With media outlets like Fox News, CNN and others clamoring for interviews, we had to respond quickly during an emergency with many moving parts. This included coordinating with project partners and the owner on messaging, identifying interview subjects with the most project knowledge and media training, and finessing talking points to avoid sensitive subjects such as the project cost.

Our strategy:

1. We tracked each media request, gathering contact information, interview availability, interview questions for the project managers, and more.
   
2. We then prioritized by tiers, organizing each outlet by audience size and demographics (i.e., owners, engineers, the general public, etc.) to identify which aligned best with Superior’s business development plan and to determine which we recommended pursuing and at what level.
   
3. Our team granted nearly every interview request, although not every outlet was given a Zoom or in-person meeting with the project leads. To do so would have put a major strain on the project managers, who needed to focus on the critical repairs. For smaller publications, we held one 30-minute input call with the division manager and the Rep Ink team.
   
4. We used those interview transcripts to prepare a Q&A background document detailing the project and its community impact. Once the division manager approved the messaging, we sent smaller publications written responses to questions we asked them to submit.

Additional marketing tactics: In addition to the initial public relations strategy we executed on our client’s behalf, we proposed and prepared supplementary marketing collateral to capitalize on the high-profile project’s visibility, including a case study for our client’s website and a “Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway” marketing video. Our team managed the video project’s planning, production, and post-production editing. We also published the final video on YouTube, social media, and Superior’s website and repurposed it for internal and external marketing campaigns.

As a full-service agency, we also manage Superior’s social media platforms. Our team ensured our social media strategy aligned with our general PR strategy so that the focus of each post remained on rebuilding the community. The goal was to reinforce that when disaster strikes, Superior is there every step of the way, helping rebuild communities. We also prioritized keeping stakeholders informed by announcing project milestones. 

Our social media content strategy included: 

Project updates:

• Temporary repairs completed
• Permanent roadway work substantially completed
• Project completion video

Client testimonials:

• FDOT Secretary quote
• FDOT testimonial video

Thought leadership:

• How progressive design-build expedited the completion of the Sanibel Causeway emergency repairs

Awards:

• The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Award
• Area Manager Ryan Hamrick’s ENR Top 25 Newsmakers Award (included a testimonial from FDOT’s corridors program coordinator)

News coverage:

• John Deere article
• Asphalt Contractor
• Engineering Florida
• Florida Weekly

Positioning our client as progressive design-build experts: At Reputation Ink, we deeply understand the value of building authority and demonstrating expertise through executive thought leadership and speaking engagements. Sanibel was the perfect opportunity to position Superior as a leader in progressive design-build and emergency response.

Upon identifying the benefits the project’s unique delivery method played in expediting the Sanibel emergency repairs, we proposed collaborating with Superior’s Director of Alternative Delivery, David Nardon, on a thought leadership piece for Associated Construction Publications. 

Through our “knowledge extraction” process, we were able to draw out the information necessary to create valuable, informative content. We held an input call with Nardon to learn more about progressive design-build and how best practices were applied to the Sanibel project. We then collaborated with him on a thought leadership piece. Nardon’s article “Mastering the Progressive Design-Build Delivery Method” was subsequently published across several of ACP’s brands, including Construction Digest and Texas Contractor. 

The article was well-received and served as a framework for his 2024 DBIA Transportation and Aviation Conference speaker submission, “What Every Owner Wants You to Know About Progressive Design-Build Done Right^®,” which our team prepared on Nardon’s behalf. The DBIA accepted the submission, and more than 100 industry professionals attended the presentation. We’re currently working with Nardon on part two of the presentation for the 2025 conference. 

“I appreciate that Reputation Ink’s team is incredibly proactive. They’re not order-takers. They come to the table with comprehensive PR strategies and marketing ideas that make my job easier and have helped build Superior’s national profile.”

Julie Thompson,
Marketing Director, Superior Construction

THE RESULTS: The Herculean efforts to restore access to Sanibel and Captiva Islands garnered national attention, with project features published in Engineering News-Record (ENR), Construction Dive, Informed Infrastructure, Engineering Florida, Bridge Design & Engineering, and many more domestic and international publications. 

Initial media placements:

• ENR Southeast: Sanibel Causeway Repair: Contractors Flooded Site With Crews, Resources
• ENR Southeast: Hurricane Ian: Contractors Finish Sanibel Causeway Emergency Repairs (This was a follow-up story after the emergency repairs were completed)
• ForConstructionPros.com: How Sanibel Causeway Reopened Less Than a Month After Hurricane Ian
• Construction Dive: Sanibel Causeway repairs complete 12 days ahead of schedule
• Construction Dive (Nick Largura feature on post-emergency repair completion): Superior CEO on what it took to rapidly rebuild Sanibel Causeway
• ACP’s Dixie Contractor: Superior Construction and The de Moya Group Work Jointly to
• Restore Sanibel Causeway in Just 15 Days
• Florida Engineering Society’s Engineering Florida (Cover story of the inaugural issue):
• Resiliency After Hurricane Ian

Follow-up placements after substantial completion of the roadway:

• ENR Southeast: Repairs to Hurricane-damaged Sanibel Causeway Completed in 105 Days
• Florida Engineering Society’s Engineering Florida: Project Update: Permanent Roadway
• Work on Sanibel Causeway Substantially Complete
• ACP’s Dixie Contractor: Superior-de Moya Joint Venture Reaches Substantial Completion of Sanibel Causeway’s Permanent Roadway

Our team leveraged these media placements by repurposing the content into awards submissions, thought leadership articles, and speaking engagements. After identifying notable industry awards programs, we drafted submissions that secured the following award wins:

• The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Florida Section’s 2024 Project of the Year
• The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials named the Sanibel Emergency Repairs the Best Quality of Life/Community Development Project in the medium-sized category for the Southeast region. 
• 2024 FTBA Diversity Award
• ENR also named Division Manager Ryan Hamrick to its 2022 ‘Top 25 Newsmakers’ list for helping lead the joint-venture team. 

The additional executive thought leadership opportunities and speaking engagements our team secured as a result of these media placements further positioned our client as a progressive design-build expert and trusted emergency response partner. It also helped introduce prospective owners, vendors and partners to Superior’s brand.

David Nardon’s 2024 DBIA Transportation and Aviation Conference presentation evaluation revealed it was the top-rated presentation of the entire conference, with a 4.82 (out of 5) evaluation score amongst attendees. 

One surveyed attendee stated, “Seeing the preliminary PDB prep on Florida’s part to respond to Hurricane Ian was highly impressive. Putting this in the works was incredibly creative. I’ve already informed my own state’s leadership!”

Another attendee stated, “This was the most valuable session of the conference so far. Many states are getting ready to embark on their first PDB, and we don’t know what we don’t know. Fundamental principles and distinguishing characteristics of the delivery type are very valuable.”

The evaluation also revealed the attendee demographics. Of 102 attendees, 28 were owners or owner advisors who may not have learned of Superior’s progressive design-build expertise had it not been for the presentation and our suggestion to capitalize on this major contract award and national spotlight to secure thought leadership opportunities and speaking engagements.

Our team’s proactive and robust approach to the Sanibel Causeway marketing and PR campaign demonstrates why architecture, engineering and construction firms have trusted us for years to promote their projects, expertise, executives and initiatives to the media in a strategic, high-value way.

If you’re ready to discuss creating a framework for your AEC firm’s emergency response communications and strategy, please contact us at [email protected].