Detailed Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) are designed to help Marathon teams keep critical functions going during events that impact the Company's ability to do business. Dan Kalisek, manager of Marathon's Emergency Preparedness Group, learned the value of BCPs firsthand in 2007.

 

“All of our business units strengthened their business continuity capabilities by adding plans to operate when one of our major office facilities is not available. For example, we had to think about who can work from home and who needs to be in an office in the event of a major weather event or pandemic. One business continuity workshop was conducted in early 2007 and a drill was in the planning stages.

 

“All of this was fresh in our minds on August 22, when the Blanchard River in Findlay, Ohio, rose to record flood stage in only six hours. There was no time for planning.

 

“We mobilized the Corporate Emergency Response Team to manage the incident and appointed a business continuity coordinator. The business units activated their BCPs and put their teams to work. We never lost critical business capabilities and there was no impact on our operations. It was business as usual, even though our office complex, many of our employees and our community were significantly affected. It was truly an example of a high performance team effort.

 

“Another major aspect of our response was the humanitarian effort, which included offering interest-free loans to employees who experienced flood damage, securing temporary housing for employees, and helping co-workers and the community
with cleanup efforts. Marathon, our employees and our business partners
donated approximately $800,000 to local agencies impacted by the flood.

 

“Marathon organizations update and enhance their BCPs on an ongoing
basis, and we conduct drills every year so our teams can test their
readiness. All of this effort and planning paid off during the Findlay
flood and will prepare us to continue business as usual during the
next emergency.”