• by Larissa Faw , September 3, 2019

As Hurricane Dorian barrels toward the U.S., most people in the storm's path are focusing on stocking up on water and fortifying their homes. Steve Parker, Jr., CEO-cofounder of Charleston, SC-based Levelwing, also finds himself working with his team to coordinate flexible work locations and evacuation plans.

Part of this planning is reassuring clients about Levelwing's commitment: Clients will never experience any disruption from these events.

"The bottom line is that the team is safe and coordinating their work. Clients and others obviously care about you as people, but they still have an expectation the work continues to get done," he says. "The hurricane is truly only affecting a small portion of the population, and we have to consider that."

The agency proactively built in these guidelines many years ago as part of an overall commitment to communication. One of its core principles, "Fundamentals First," outlines how to do the little things well, and create plans in order to achieve success.

At the end of the day, clients remain focused on their end result.

"Of course, clients ask: 'Is everyone OK?' Are you all OK?' " But they understand work "must continue,” says Parker.

This means Levelwing has "numerous security protocols" in place and everything has continuous off-site backup and full cloud availability for the team in remote situations. Access controls are never an issue.

"When you plan with a fundamentals-first approach to everything, the ability to win even amid difficult situations is very likely. This applies to our work on a Super Bowl campaign, as much as to our emergency situational planning during a hurricane."

“I know first-hand from working with Levelwing for many years that they manage their business very well and create extraordinary plans for non-controllable situations like a hurricane," says Michael Fluck, senior director, digital marketing/strategy, Bridgestone Americas. "We as a client of theirs have always experienced great commitment to performance and communication even during extreme situations. It’s a great testament to their focus.”

Despite Levelwing's prioritization of its client roster, agency staffers aren't neglected.

“We provide clear flexibility and assistance to leave town early and get situated in a safe place for them and their families and their pets,” explains Parker. "We have a very well designed check-in process with our entire team across divisions and teams. Each person will get two check-ins per day to confirm safety on an ongoing basis and support for any need they require."

The Levelwing team launched their hurricane action process on Sunday afternoon and were ready to resume work without disruption today following Labor Day weekend.