A Stormy Start: FL- and NC-Based Companies Merge Amid Chaos of Hurricanes Helene and Milton
Oct 30, 2024 01:25PM ● By WNC Business
Managing a merger between two companies is tough enough. Now imagine doing it as two historic hurricanes barrel through the cities where those companies are located, leaving trails of devastation in their wake.
That happened this month when Tampa Bay-based Big Sea, a digital marketing agency with a remote team primarily located in St. Petersburg, FL, acquired JB Media Group in Asheville. The merger, months in the making, was set to kick off on October 1.
Instead, Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit, testing what their remote teams could manage as widespread power and internet outages made connection nearly impossible for days.
First came Helene, striking just days before the companies were prepared to kick off their first day together on October 1. The storm first hit the Tampa Bay area, flooding communities and knocking out power. It then traveled straight through Western North Carolina, ravaging Asheville and surrounding areas.
Without reliable power, internet, cell service, or even, in some cases, ways to leave the area, it took several days before Big Sea managers were able to confirm that everyone on the Asheville team was safe and out of danger.
“Luckily, we had just onboarded everyone into our HR platform, so we had everyone’s cell numbers. We started texting everyone in Asheville as soon as we could, just to be sure they were OK,” shares Big Sea COO and Managing Partner Dzuy Nguyen. “We didn’t hear from everyone right away — the cell service was so bad — but by the end of that first week, we were able to verify everyone’s safety.”
Instead of online onboarding and strategy sessions, the teams faced days without power or water. What should have been a smooth start to a new chapter turned into a scramble to stay connected and keep work moving amid Helene’s aftermath.
Less than two weeks later, as JB Media’s Asheville-based team started returning to work, a new storm formed on the horizon: Milton. And it was headed straight for Tampa Bay.
Within days, members of the Big Sea team, still reeling from the damage left in the area by Helene, were looking down the barrel of the worst storm to hit Tampa Bay in a century. Team members, many of whom live in mandatory evacuation areas, spent several days preparing their homes and heading inland for safety while the new Asheville team helped pick up the slack.
“It was a tough first couple weeks, to say the least,” said Andi Graham, CEO of Big Sea. Graham lives in Asheville but has roots in Tampa Bay. She avoided the immediate aftermath of Helene by driving to visit family in St. Petersburg–only to drive back to western North Carolina as Milton approached, watching scores of FEMA vehicles heading in the other direction, headed from one disaster to another.
“We were supposed to integrate our teams and set the stage for our new clients and services. Instead, everyone was trying to figure out how to work at all, with kids at home and no power, water, or internet,” Graham said. “It was hard to show up for the team and our clients — we were all so distracted — but we knew we had to keep our clients happy to keep our teams thriving into the future.”
More than three weeks after Helene hit, Graham’s neighborhood in Asheville still has no clean running water and only a makeshift road leading in and out.
“In a way, though, the storms brought us closer, faster,” she said. “We learned to trust one another and communicate right from the start. And, hopefully, the new Asheville team members learned what my business partner and I really care about most, and that is our teams.”
Leaning hard on their core values, the teams effectively took turns reaching out to clients while the others dealt with storm chaos, fulfilled deadlines, and dived in with an “all hands on deck” dedication from the start.
“We were all dealing with the same chaos, but it showed how strong this team is,” said Justin Belleme, founder of JB Media Group. “Joining Big Sea in the middle of a crisis just affirmed that our teams share the same core values and mindset. Now that we’re starting to work together with more certainty, we’re excited about what’s ahead.”
With the acquisition, Big Sea is better equipped to serve nonprofits with comprehensive, data-driven marketing solutions that combine strategy, storytelling, and digital expertise.
About JB Media Group LLC:
Source: Big Sea