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Specialists in HR Training, Ethics, Safety, Compliance and Communications Form One-Stop Shop

Four industry leading firms that specialize in the critical building blocks of successful organizations have formed a network giving employers one place to go for answers to high-risk workplace issues including security and safety measures, ethics and fraud reporting, human resources compliance and employment law training, crisis and issues communication and more.

The founding members of the Akros Network include:

• BMD Gateway, a customizable, cloud-based proactive risk management solution for employers developed by industry-leading attorneys to provide comprehensive training and compliance programs covering OSHA, HIPAA and more.

• Hennes Communications, a crisis communications and issues management firm that helps clients respond to and prepare for reputational challenges, crises and issues that threaten their ability to carry out their missions and serve stakeholders.

• Red Flag Reporting, a highly effective employee hotline service and case management platform that empowers organizations and their employees with tools to detect and report unethical and unsafe behavior including human resources, financial, safety and compliance issues.

• SACS Consulting & Security/Investigative Services, specialists in human resources, management/employee training, security, corporate/personal investigations, physical security assessments and high-risk workplace issues.

All four firms have deep connections to Akron and Northeast Ohio while serving clients across the nation.

“We call it the Akros Network using a Greek rooted word that means topmost or highest,” said Ray Dunkle, president of Red Flag Reporting and the driving force behind the forming of the network. “We wanted our name to reflect our commitment to quality and our clients’ commitment to safe and ethical work environments.”

Businesses, organizations or individuals can go to the Akros Network for one or all of the services that the member firms offer.

“A business facing a serious safety or ethical challenge usually doesn’t have one problem. You have multiple problems,” said Timothy Dimoff, founder and president of SACS Consulting & Investigative Services. “The Akros Network offers multiple solutions.”

One of those solutions is providing the tools upfront, including training, forms, documentation, tracking and reporting so that businesses are armed before employment litigation begins, said Amanda Waesch, president of BMD Gateway. “We want to prevent, protect and preemptively avoid disputes,” Waesch said.

And companies faced with challenges that want to do the right thing also have to know how to talk effectively about what they’re doing, said Stephanie York, vice president and head of the Akron office for Hennes Communications. “Communications is often the last thing that companies think about during a crisis,” York said. “But it’s the first thing that company’s stakeholders will remember if done poorly, late or not at all. If done properly, companies can actually come out of a crisis with a reservoir of trust and goodwill.”

To learn more about the Akros Network, go to akrosnetwork.com.