Crisis Communications
As Akio Ono, president of Ono Foods Co., Ltd, attended a wedding in Tokyo, his seafood plant in Kamaishi City was rocked by a devastating tsunami caused by one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit Japan – lasting more than six minutes.
On the evening of February 7, 2008, the new CEO toured the Port Wentworth, Ga refinery;b meeting with employees in the 100-year-old facility. A little after 7 p.m., a series of explosions ripped through the refinery –killing 14 employees, severely injuring others and nearly costing Sheptor his life. The tragic events of that evening set in motion two years of corporate turmoil, which came close to destroying Imperial Sugar.
