THE OVERVIEW

When Cobb EMC (headquartered in Marietta, Georgia) needed help designing and developing a Business Continuity Program (BCP) to sustain business operations at its campus, it turned to Corus360 for Continuity Plan development assistance. Additionally, Cobb EMC also realized the need to upgrade the company’s Emergency Response and Communications Plan to assure its integration with the Business Continuity Program. Corus360 was selected to provide assistance for both of these initiatives.

THE CHALLENGE

Cobb EMC’s large campus contains multiple buildings. Individual departments are highly dependent upon each facility they occupy, and the loss or inability to occupy any one of the campus buildings would likely have a significant impact on all business operations. This dispersion of business functions also stressed the importance of being able to communicate with the company’s staff following a disastrous event. The sudden and unexpected arrival of a severe winter snow storm late one afternoon resulting in a major outage highlighted the cooperative’s need to update its major outage procedures, response management, and efficient communication for employees, members, and the community.

THE SOLUTION

Following an extensive review of its requirements, Cobb EMC chose Corus360’s consultants to perform a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to determine business recovery requirements and to determine suitable recovery strategies and develop Business Continuity Plans. Corus360’s consultants worked with Cobb EMC’s staff to complete the BIA that produced a recovery profile for each building, identified potential solutions and associated costs, and presented the results to the executive group for concurrence and approval. Based on the selected recovery strategies, executable Business Continuity Plans were developed, and training sessions were conducted.

Secondarily, Corus360’s consultants worked with Cobb EMC on an initiative to assess the results of the snow storm event. Corus360’s team assumed responsibility for consolidating the resulting data and documenting a Distribution System Restoration Plan (DSRP).

THE BENEFITS

Cobb EMC leveraged Corus360’s consultants’ experience and operational planning skills to effectively deliver the desired result. Cobb EMC now has the capability to recover its business operations and respond to major events that may occur while protecting its prestigious brand and assure that its members can continue to receive vital energy services.