Lessons from a volunteer comms coalition supporting small businesses after the LA fires

Cara Mia DiMassa is a freelance writer.

Nearly one year after the January 2025 fires in Southern California destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, a group of comms professionals is celebrating success in helping nearly two dozen small businesses with their recovery.

The LA Strong Comms Coalition (LASCC) was assembled by Jennifer Acree, founder and CEO of JSA+ Partners. Acree’s parents’ home — her childhood home — was destroyed in the Pacific Palisades, but rather than be deterred, she quickly sprang into action. Acree recognized that small businesses are the backbone of many communities — and that 40% of small and mid-sized businesses never reopen after a natural disaster, while an additional 25% reopen but shut down within a year.

LASCC, which now includes more than 40 people from boutique agencies including Karsha Chang Public Relations and Hustle & Co., as well as larger firms like Zeno Group and Weber Shandwick and freelancers, recently received a PR Daily Award honorable mention in the Community Relations category.

Over the last year, LASCC has helped almost 20 different companies — from a Korean beauty brand to a pizza joint to a skate shop — raise awareness, rally customer support and generate sales as they recovered and rebuilt. Businesses aided by LASCC received national and local press in the wake of the fires, and owners have reported tangible results including foot traffic to retail spaces, online sales spikes after segments and increased brand awareness. So far, LASCC members have donated more than $150,000 in free PR and social media support, and their work can serve as a powerful example of how comms professionals can mobilize their own communities should disaster strike.

“What surprised us most was how quickly people everywhere wanted to help,” Acree said. “Not just large agencies in LA, but freelancers, students and communications professionals across the country, who raised their hands and jumped in wherever they were needed. That momentum showed us this could be a model, not just a moment — and that with shared purpose and structure, PR can drive real, measurable impact in times of disaster.”

The group has learned some important lessons along the way, Acree said. Among them:

1. Assemble a group with a variety of skills and talents. In the days after the fires, Acree put out a call first to large firms and people she knew. The group grew organically over the next few months, as original members referred friends and colleagues. It was crucial to have members with varied skill sets and local broadcast connections, as well as people who knew the affected neighborhoods.
2. Define the mission of who you will serve. As demand for LASCC’s services eventually eclipsed what could be accomplished, having a clear mission allowed the group to decide who they could effectively serve and not be distracted by requests that did not meet these requirements.
3. Create a leadership group to guide the process. LASCC’s leadership group of five has helped find businesses, evaluate potential clients, organize resources and attract more members. Leaders should be committed to the work on a long-term basis; nearly one year after the Southern California fires, several businesses that LASCC supports are only just getting back on their feet and will likely need assistance for at least another year.
4. Use technology to your advantage. Coalition members have largely communicated through Slack, with channels for “team,” “leadership,” “new requests” and each of the businesses being helped. Shared Google files help organize press lists, pitch templates and comms plans. Acree also created a page on her website to list the coalition’s clients and link to their websites and social media.
5. Help clients pivot. Several businesses represented by LASCC had to move online after their physical stores were destroyed, while others had to refocus after inventory or equipment was lost. LASCC teams assigned to these businesses have helped guide them through this process, often acting as an advisory board with more bandwidth than the business owners themselves.
6. Get ready for attention. After an appearance on “The Today Show” in May, one client, A Girl Walks Into a Bar, generated enough new sales to pay rent on its warehouse for several months, as well as an eventual distribution deal with Total Wine & More. Other businesses repeatedly reported huge upticks in their own sales after features, media appearances and inclusion in holiday gift guides that LASCC members had recommended them for. The attention “has multiplied,” said Jordan Catapano, co-founder of A Girl Walks Into a Bar. “That’s the beauty of PR that I didn’t understand. There is a domino effect that you may or may not be aware of. We have benefited from each thing, but the subsequent exposure and opportunities are pretty incredible.”
7. Prepare to be inspired. In conversations with business owners, LASCC members have consistently been moved by the stories they have heard, as well as owners’ ability to communicate at a moment of vulnerability. “It makes the media storytelling so authentic,” said Kate Olsen Walters, a strategic communications consultant working with LASCC. The results that business owners have seen from the coalition’s work, she added, “have been a wind in their sails.”