Communications Lessons Learned from the 2018 Merrimack Valley Natural Gas Disaster

In September of 2018, a series of natural gas explosions rocked the Merrimack Valley, just north of Boston, tragically causing one death, dozens of injuries, and the devastation of the communities of Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover. With natural gas service disrupted, thousands of residents were displaced from their homes as the natural gas system and appliances were replaced before the cold winter months.

Join this panel of friends and colleagues who were leading on the ground during the Merrimack Valley incident. The panel participants will discuss how communications contributes to reputation management, government affairs, project management, and business intelligence, focusing on rebuilding trust after a crisis.

This panel of leading experts will offer insight into developing operational preparedness and risk adverse strategies for managing and executing a large-scale construction program in a very short timeframe, managing risk, maintaining a safety culture during an emergency, along with approaches for establishing trust and transparent communications with internal and external stakeholders in a crisis.

Audience Takeaways

• Build an effective cross-functional incident response team.

• Identify key players in crisis situations and how to activate your crisis strategy.

• Examine and assess your current crisis communications playbook and how to improve preparedness.

• Respond to criticism and crises on social media

• Perform a post-crisis evaluation and assessment

  
  

Joe Albanese is Founder and CEO of Commodore Builders, a 22-year-old, $550 million Construction Management/General Contracting Firm. He is a registered Professional Engineer, with a degree in Civil Engineering from UMass Lowell and an MBA From BU. 

In 2009, Joe retired as Captain in the United States Navy Civil Engineer Corps, after 28 years of dedicated active and reserve duty. In 2007, Joe mobilized to the Middle East for 10 months serving as Commander, 22nd Naval Construction Regiment (FWD), and Commander of Expeditionary Task Group 56.2. He provided leadership to more than 2200 Navy Seabees throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and The Horn of Africa. His numerous military awards include the Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, and four Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals. 

In the Fall of 2018, Governor Baker appointed Joe as Chief Recovery Officer leading the disaster recovery and restoration efforts following the gas line explosions impacting three municipalities in the Merrimack Valley. Joe took a 3-month leave of absence from Commodore to assemble and lead a team that put more than $750 million of work in place, ensuring that all residents and businesses were restored before winter. 

Joe has been inducted into the UMass Lowell James B. Francis Academy of Distinguished Engineers, the UMass Lowell Military Hall of Fame, and the National Academy of Construction. His awards and recognition include Admiral Ben Montoya Award, Navy Civil Engineer Corps/Seabee Historical Foundation, Boston Society of Civil Engineers/TECET Leadership Award, Caritas Communities P. Leo Corcoran Humanitarian Award, A Better City, Norman B. Leventhal, Excellence in City Building Award: Infrastructure, CoreNet New England Leadership Award, Seabee Memorial Scholarship Distinguished Service Award, Housing Families, Man of the Year, and Boston Business Journal 40 Under 40. 

Joe serves on the Board of Directors of the New England Baptist Hospital, the Board of Advisors of UMass Lowell Francis College of Engineering Chairman and the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Boston University Questrom School of Business.  Joe sits on the Board of Directors for the Village Bank in Newton and is an overseer for the Boston Architectural College and the USS Constitution Museum. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors for Leading Cities, Boston, and a Board member for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and A Better City, in Boston. He is past Chairman of the Board for the New England Center and Home for Veterans, Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Building Congress  

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn.

Lisa Nickerson is the CEO & Founder of Nickerson, an international, award-winning, full-service branding, marketing, PR and communications agency with team members in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco. Lisa also serves as the CMO and CRO of Infinityy, an online platform transforming real estate decision making into a collaborative online experience.

Lisa was recognized as a 2022 GlobeSt Real Estate Forum Woman of Influence in the Marketing/Communications Professional category, an honor given to the most influential women in real estate marketing. Additionally, Lisa was recognized by Bisnow in 2018 as a “Boston Power Woman” and was also awarded the 2016 PRISM for Marketing Professional of the Year. Lisa and the Nickerson team were the 2019 PR Daily 'Winner' and 2020 PR Week 'Finalist' for Crisis Communications/Reputation Management.

Nickerson is a sought-after speaker and moderator, a devotee of professional and community service, and a champion of women’s leadership initiatives. She is an active member of Urban Land Institute (ULI) and ULI|Boston|New England’s Advisory Board, Chair of ULI New England’s Tech & Innovation Council, Co-Chair and Communications Chair of ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative Council 2019-2021, Board Member & Founder’s Circle Chair of the Greater Boston Arts & Business Council, Host Committee Member of Cristo Rey Boston High School, former Board Member & VP of Sponsorship of Boston Women in Media & Entertainment 2016-2020, and a former Board Member of SIOR|New England Chapter 2013-2017.

Nickerson has been a board member and development chair of Housing Families Inc. since 2006 and has been a member of the Joshua Frase Foundation (JFF) since 1997 and served as a Board Member and Vice President of JFF from 2019 – 2023.

In partnership with her daughter, Catherine McGonagle, Nickerson is the Co-Founder and Advisor of STEMS Flower Farm, LLC, a flower farming venture and content producer teaching high school and college students the power of entrepreneurship.

A proud graduate of Boston College, Nickerson resides in Wayland, MA with husband, Bob Cramer. A five-time runner of the Boston Marathon, aspiring triathlete, and avid gardener, Nickerson revels in keeping a “rhythm” in her life that brings her great pleasure while also feeding her curiosity and desire for achieving all that is possible.

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn.

Shannon Mulaire is the Director of PR & Media Relations at Nickerson. A Murrow Award-winning former news anchor with over 20 years of experience in the media industry, her assignments have taken her, a fluent Spanish speaker, from the Dominican Republic where she appeared on both English and Spanish language stations to anchoring live post-game shows on the field after various Patriots’ Super Bowl appearances. Her mission is to help clients achieve their goals by developing and executing strategic communications programs that leverage media sources, social media platforms, and creative storytelling techniques.

Her career began behind the camera as a writer and producer in Fort Myers, FL, then to Tampa as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor, and ultimately back home to New England where she served as a morning and then main evening anchor in Boston. Mulaire is a 2-time Boston Marathon finisher, raising tens of thousands of dollars for both The David Ortiz Children’s Fund and Horizons for Homeless Children. She is a proud mom of 3 who in her spare time (what there is of it) enjoys sports and still plays in a competitive women’s soccer league west of Boston.

Connect with Shannon on LinkedIn.

Shelly's journey in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector commenced over 25 years ago, where she spearheaded marketing and communications initiatives for top-tier construction enterprises in New England, including a notable tenure at Gilbane Building Company. Leveraging her extensive expertise and a fervent passion for the AEC realm, Shelly established SP Strategic Marketing in 2018 to provide AEC clientele with bespoke marketing and communication strategies, media relations expertise, social media guidance, and brand stewardship. In recognition of her exemplary work, Shelly was honored as a key figure in the Nickerson PR team during the Columbia Gas Media Intelligence and Crisis Communications effort with PR Daily’s Digital Marketing & Social Media Award for Crisis Communications in 2019.

An ardent advocate for mentorship in the AEC field, Shelly has actively participated in the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Boston Chapter for two decades. She notably served as Programs Co-Chair at the 2019 Northeast Regional Conference and is presently serving as Communications Co-Chair for the 2024 Northeast Regional Conference. Beyond her professional commitments, Shelly also invests time in the Communications Committee for AGC Massachusetts and extends her marketing prowess pro bono to philanthropic causes such as the Karen Bradshaw Memorial Golf Tournament, the Kent Hospital Foundation Evening of Hope, and the Southern New England chapter of the American Heart Association Hard Hats for Heart working to improve cardiovascular health of those working within the construction industry.

Connect with Shelly on LinkedIn.