About Us
What does it take to communicate effectively and build trust in a time of instant news, social media and a hyper-competitive news environment quick to assign blame?
PIER Strategic Services provides the planning, training, and implementation management skills needed to meet today's extreme communication challenges.
PIER is a technology solution aimed at helping communicators and teams meet these challenges head on. But PIER is more than technology. Behind the innovative communication technology lies a team of experienced communication professionals. Far beyond designing the technology, these professionals have participated in a great number of the headline-making events of the past few years. They have counseled senior executives and public affairs managers, helped prepare their organizations to meet the worst, have planned and executed numerous drills and exercises and have trained over 2000 communicators to operate more effectively in today’s challenging information environment.
PIER Strategic Services offers the years of experience of this team of professionals to a wide variety of clients. Services include:
Crisis Preparation and Risk Assessment
Crisis Plans
Crisis Dark Site Preparation
Crisis Drills and Exercises
Emergency Public Information Plans and Annexes
PIER Certification Training
PIER Emergency Response Team
NIMS and JIC Training
Social Media Integration
Communication Technology Implementation Management
PIER Strategic Services plans are focused on the four key elements of public affairs management and crisis preparation:
Policies
Plans
People
Platform
The PIER Strategic Services team focus is the nexus of communication strategy and technology. No longer can communicators assume that their task in a headline-making event is to simply answer media questions or prepare and distribute press releases. New technologies are driving the demand for faster, more direct and transparent information. But they are also providing communicators the ability to meet those demands. It is at the intersection of communication strategy and new technologies where the PIER Strategic Services' vision, experience and knowledge translates into exceptional value.
PIER Strategic Services Senior Consultants
Gerald Baron, PIER Founder and SVP Business Development
Mr. Baron is the Founder of PIER and formerly served as its CEO. He now serves as Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Services. He is also the president and co-owner of Baron&Company, a full service marketing and public relations firm in the Pacific Northwest. PIER was created out of his experience in managing large-scale events as part of his work as a public information officer for a major oil company with facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Over his thirty-year career in communications and public affairs, he has consulted with numerous household name organizations including federal agencies, multi-national corporations, non-profits and numerous small and medium sized businesses. He is the author of several books including “Friendship Marketing” and “Now Is Too Late2: Survival in an Era of Instant News.” He is sought after speaker at public relations and industry events on the topics of crisis communications, instant news, social media and emerging trends in public information management. Mr. Baron blogs at www.crisisblogger.com and for Emergency Management magazine at www.emergencymgmt.com.
John “Pat” Philbin, PhD, Senior Associate
Dr. Philbin has nearly 25 years experience in strategic communication; government, congressional and public affairs; organizational/business development; and innovative leadership with top-level, senior government officials and company executives, including crisis/risk communication, media relations, marketing communications, brand management, government relations and strategic planning. Pat most recently served as the Director, Office of External Affairs for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is a former Chief of Coast Guard Public Affairs. He has been involved in a significant number of high visibility public incidents dating back to the loss of the space shuttle Challenger in the mid 80s, mass migrations of Haitians/Cubans in the early 90s, the loss of TWA Flight 800 and Alaska Air, the loss of JFK, Jr.'s aircraft off of Martha's Vineyard, and dozens of contentious and complex issues associated with FEMA's transformation efforts following Hurricane Katrina.
Pat holds a Doctorate in Communication from the University of Maryland, a Master of Science in Public Relations from Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Science in Government from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He also holds an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.
Marc Mullen, Senior Associate
Mr. Mullen joined PIER as its first employee in April, 2000. Since that time he has been actively involved in supporting more large-scale crisis events and drills than perhaps any other communication professional. Mr. Mullen took the lead in assisting the US Coast Guard implement PIER and has worked directly with multiple agencies, oil and energy companies, and wide variety of other clients in preparing for and responding to massive events. He has direct experience in helping manage communications during natural disasters, environmental spills, shipping accidents, industrial accidents, activist crises, wildfires and many other types of events. Mr. Mullen specializes in drill planning and management as well as supporting responses.