Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/479689
10 Hartford Business Journal • October 6, 2014 www.HartfordBusiness.com L i f e t i m e A c h i e v e m e n t A w A r d s 2 0 1 4 ShEEhan: A communications pro who thrives under pressure Becky Bergman Special to the Hartford Business Journal w hen Eugene A. Sheehan III left one of Connecticut's largest advertising agencies in 1988, it wasn't for a slower pace. In fact, Sheehan said he thrives under the pressure of constant dead- lines and handles unpredictable cir- cumstances with a cool sense of calm and logic. The fast-paced, be-ready-for- anything attitude has stuck with him to this day and paid off well for Sullivan & LeShane Public Rela- tions, the Hartford-based communications firm he co-founded with Pat Sullivan and Paddi LeShane more than 25 years ago. "There has to be a solid foundation of mutual respect and trust, especially when there's a crisis situation to address," said Sheehan, president and managing partner at Sullivan & LeShane. "This business is all about building strong, trans- parent relationships with people." Sheehan, 68, is a man with a strong, deliberate voice, stra- tegic vision and a warm demeanor who has been compared to an advocate by his peers. "Gene is a strategic thinker with a feet-on-the ground work ethic," said Joe Marfuggi, president and CEO of Riverfront Recapture. "And he has this ability to crystalize complicated concepts into language that is understandable and engaging." Sheehan acts as a mentor for many people and he "personi- fies an open door policy," said Marfuggi. "Countless people, from recent college graduates to late-career professionals, have relied on him for his advice and counsel." Opening Sullivan & LeShane was a way for Sheehan to build on the knowledge, reputation and experience he gained as a cre- ative director and advertising exec. He worked at Maher-Hartford Advertising and PR for six years prior to starting his own firm. Sullivan & LeShane began as a small public relations company, and has grown slow and steady over the years; but it has repre- sented some big U.S. companies and institutions including Coca- Cola Bottling Company of New England, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Citi- corp, Mirage Resorts, and American Medical Response, among others. Sheehan says the communications firm helps companies turn vulnerabili- ties into positive messages, and gives clients a new way of talking about themselves to the public. That hasn't always been easy for Sheehan. When his firm was hired to work with the Catholic Church on its sexual abuse allegations crisis, Sheehan said he wrestled with how to handle the case. Shortly after he started working with the church, Sheehan said he was alone in his third-floor Capitol Avenue office reading through the case files when he felt lightheaded and overwhelmed. "I was a little bit apprehensive and found myself wondering if I could really do this," he said. "There was only one way to handle this horrific situation and that was to face it head on." Sheehan stayed on the case and eventually helped the church create and implement a strategy for dealing with the accusations. His advice: admit wrongdoing, offer ways to help victims heal, and take strong action to ensure such incidents wouldn't happen again. "They really did begin to change the culture," said Shee- han, referring to the church's eventual response to the sex abuse allegations in Connecticut. When MetLife, NRG Energy, SPX, Home for America and Johnson & Johnson faced serious public affairs challenges in the state, they each hired Sheehan's firm to present them in the best possible light, no matter what the issue. "It's all about making sure the client has a chance to share their story," said Sheehan. "I strive to be the voice of reason in every situation and sometimes the answers are not comfortable." The Catholic Church case changed Sheehan, as did other sensitive cases his firm handled over the years, including nurs- ing home fires, employee embezzlement cases, alleged cancer clusters, environmental disasters and workplace shootings. Sullivan said he will reject clients if he thinks he can't tell their story, or if they don't appear to be telling the truth. He said his strategy is to always encourage clients to say "sorry" when they've done something wrong, no matter how difficult it is. "It's all about striking the right balance between the legal issue and liability concerns and a client's reputation and the truth," said Sheehan. "It takes a creative mindset to achieve that." And as the flow of news and other information travels more rapidly than ever, Sheehan, who became a grandfather for the first time in June, says it's too challenging to keep up with it all. When Sheehan opened the firm in the 1980s, reporters produced articles on manual typewriters — the Internet and social media were unknown tools in a distant future. Today, news writers file stories, tweet updates, produce breaking news on the web, shoot videos and snap photos throughout the day for instant sharing. Sheehan says he is awestruck by the pace reporters must keep. "Crisis management is different today than it was 20 years ago," said Sheehan, who now advises clients to contact him as soon a bad situation occurs even before regulators or the media are notified about the issue. "You never know when something is going to break." "There is a profound quote I like by John Lennon, who once said, 'Life is what happens when you're busy making plans.' Being able to respond to the ongoing flow of informa- tion for clients is a lot like that," said Sheehan. "It's always constant and never shuts off." P H O T O | S T e v e L a S c H e v e r Continued