Just a classy thing to do! Ironman is the first recipient of the RBR’s class act of the day award…I tend to stay out of the daily news, however, how anyone in the media department, pr departments or management can sleep at night at BP amazes me. 

Lessons to learn from the BP Crisis for our businesses? One must ALWAYS be prepared for the unexpected. Make sure that, in your pr department, you have someone who does not think in a linear fashion-someone who sees the glass as half full and half empty. Contrary thought is good for the soul.

And, in this world where we worship 17-25 year old consumers, having someone over 40, over 50, oh dear God, should I say it? Over 60, who has seen a few screw ups, is essential. We live in a world where there are no simple answers, and the enthusiasm of youth, and the experience of different age groups means the difference between success and huge failure.

Someday, when the BP fiasco is looked at forensically, there will be the acknowledgment that people involved were too close to see the whole picture, and that contrary voices were, perhaps, squashed.

 Companies and organizations in our sport may not have a huge oil spill to contend with, but an issue with huge recall in product, a series of poor deliveries in bad weather, an event that goes bad, due to an act of God, and the bad publicity of the event or athlete whittles at the consumers’ brand view, could always happen. Not that I follow it all of the time, but the method related to me, by crisis PR agencies (yes, there are a few good ones), is simple to say, terribly difficult to do: provide clear, timely info, admit when you do not have the answers, and try and keep things transparent.  

We are living in an age that can be both exhilarating and terrifying, both at once. We are living in an age where we have, perhaps, too many choices.  In the final analysis, mistakes are where we learn. Let’s focus on making our own unique mistakes, and learning from the one’s those before us have made…

Ironman
Allocates $100,000 for Donation Toward Gulf Coast Oil Spill Relief

June 8, 2010 (Tampa, Fla.) – World Triathlon
Corporation, owner of the global Ironman Triathlon Series, announces its
contribution to the oil spill relief effort in the Gulf of Mexico.  The
Ironman Foundation, the company’s charitable arm, has earmarked a
total of $100,000 to support the efforts and its first donation of $25,000 will
be made to Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, an organization that
has been instrumental in assisting those affected by the oil spill in the state
of Louisiana.  Ironman, headquartered off Florida’s West coast,
plans to offer additional assistance to related organizations in the coming
weeks.

President and CEO of Ironman, Ben Fertic comments, “My
family has been in Florida for six generations and I am devastated by the BP
oil spill and the ongoing destruction it is causing not only to the
environment, but also to the families whose livelihoods are dependent upon the
Gulf of Mexico.  As a company, we are always looking for unique ways to
help preserve the natural resources in our host communities.  We believe
our contribution to Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans will offer
direct support to the fishing and shrimping families in their time of
need.  We look forward to providing additional aid to clean-up efforts
around the Gulf Coast and hope these types of donations will have a meaningful
impact.”

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans is an umbrella
agency with 45 programs delivering health and human services to the poor and
vulnerable in the 8 civil parishes of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. 
Just days after the spill, Archbishop Gregory Aymond, Catholic Charities
co-president Gordon Wadge, Second Harvest CEO Natalie Jayroe and a CCANO
disaster response team, met with government leaders in Plaquemines and St. Bernard
Parishes.  By the first week of May, Catholic Charities was offering
assistance in both St. Bernard and at two oil spill relief centers in
Plaquemines Parish.  In just a few short weeks, the number of Catholic
Charities’ centers around New Orleans now totals five.  To date, the
organization has provided emergency assistance to more than 2,300 families,
served 952 food boxes, given more than $140,000 in gift cards/food vouchers and
counseled more than 700 individuals.

“One-hundred percent of this donation from The
Ironman Foundation will go directly to assistance for the fishermen. 
The fishermen of Southeast Louisiana are a strong, resilient and independent
group who are accustomed to providing for themselves and their families. The
threat of losing not only their livelihood, but also our culture and way of
life has been a tremendous blow. We deeply appreciate the commitment from one
strong group to another,” said Gordon Wadge, co-president of Catholic
Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans.

The Ironman Foundation has raised more than
$3,500,000 through various initiatives, including a charitable eBay auction,
since its inception in 2003.  Throughout the last eight years, the
Foundation has provided charitable assistance with donations and grants being
received by a variety of local and worldwide organizations such as: The
Pediatric Cancer Foundation, C Different, The American Cancer Society, American
Diabetes Association, American Red Cross, American Heart Association, Big
Brothers/Big Sisters, Boy Scouts of America, among others.

For more information on Ironman and The Ironman
Foundation, log on to www.ironman.com. 
To learn about Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, please visit www.ccano.org. Media-related inquiries can be
directed to Blair LaHaye at Blair@ironman.com
or Jessica Weidensall at Jessica@ironman.com.
Both parties may be reached at 813-868-5940.