Hennes Communications
Hennes Communications is a Cleveland-based boutique crisis communications and crisis management consulting firm serving 180+ corporate, legal, government, healthcare, education, and nonprofit clients annually with senior-level consultants, now operating as a division of AKCG following May 2026 acquisition.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersCleveland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hennes Communications does
Hennes Communications is a boutique crisis communications and crisis management consulting firm founded in 1989 by Bruce M. Hennes and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The firm serves more than 180 clients annually across six primary segments: corporations and manufacturers, education institutions, law firms, government agencies, healthcare and senior living, and nonprofits. Service offerings include crisis response and strategy, crisis communications plans and drills, media training, litigation communications support, and reputation management, organized around solution categories covering accidents and threats, misconduct, and changes/labor issues. The firm also produces CLE-certified seminars for attorneys and educators, and publishes the award-winning Crisis Communications Today newsletter, which has run for 24 years and reaches nearly 8,000 subscribers.
The firm's competitive positioning is built on a senior-only consultant bench drawn from journalism, corporate communications, and political campaigns, eschewing the junior-staff pyramid typical of larger PR firms. Distribution relies on direct senior consultant engagement, referrals, and strategic channel partnerships — notably with the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (covering 25 state associations and over 7,100 school districts) and individual state school boards associations in Indiana, Ohio, Arizona, and Florida. An academic partnership with Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication enables graduate certificate credit for seminar participants. The firm is recognized by Chambers and Partners as one of only 21 communications consultancies in the U.S. in the 2026 Crisis & Risk Management guide.
Commercially, Hennes operates a quote-based professional services model with pricing not publicly disclosed. Revenue is not disclosed and the firm is privately held. In May 2026, Hennes Communications was acquired by AKCG - Public Relations Counselors, becoming a division of AKCG while retaining its brand identity; Bruce Hennes transitioned from CEO to President of the division. The acquisition combines two long-established national crisis communications agencies and grants Hennes access to AKCG's Philadelphia and Washington D.C. offices.
Hennes Communications firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hennes Communications
- Legal name
- Hennes Communications
- Website
- https://crisiscommunications.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hennes Communications is a Cleveland-based boutique crisis communications and crisis management consulting firm serving 180+ corporate, legal, government, healthcare, education, and nonprofit clients annually with senior-level consultants, now operating as a division of AKCG following May 2026 acquisition.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hennes Communications industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Crisis Communications Consulting
- NAICS
- Public Relations Agencies (54182), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crisis Communications & Issues Management (MPAAADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Crisis Communications Planning & Response (MPAAAOAD), Crisis Communications & Issues Management (BPAFADAE), Business Continuity, Crisis Management & Resilience Planning (BPAKADAI)
Keywords
Where Hennes Communications is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cleveland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Hennes Communications business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Crisis Communications Consulting: Professional consulting services for crisis management, crisis communications, litigation communications, and media training. Services are provided to corporations, government agencies, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and law firms.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hennes Communications product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hennes Communications provides crisis communications and crisis management consulting services to organizations facing reputational threats. Core offerings include crisis response strategy, crisis communications plan development and drills, media training, litigation communications support, and reputation management services. The firm also conducts CLE-certified seminars for attorneys and educators, and publishes the Crisis Communications Today newsletter.
Product overview
Hennes Communications is a boutique crisis communications and crisis management consulting firm offering a portfolio of advisory services organized around crisis response. The core offering comprises Crisis Communications & Crisis Management consulting, supplemented by Reputation Management, Crisis Communications Plans & Drills, Media Training, and Litigation Communications Support services. The firm also delivers specialized training modules including Seminars for Attorneys, Seminars for Educators, and Seminars for Elder Care Professionals, all certified for continuing education credits. A monthly Crisis Communications Today Newsletter (8,000 subscribers) provides thought leadership content. Solutions are organized by crisis type: Accidents and Threats, Misconduct, and Changes & Labor Issues. The firm recently became a division of AKCG – Public Relations Counselors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Crisis Communications & Crisis Management Core crisis communications and crisis management consulting services for organizations facing reputational threats, including product recalls, health/safety concerns, criminal/sexual misconduct, financial controversies, internet attacks, and workplace issues. Services include strategy development, message crafting, and multi-channel communication deployment.
- Reputation Management Strategic communications services to protect and rebuild organizational reputation through messaging strategies that support business plans and resonate with key stakeholders, including online reputation management for handling derogatory internet comments.
- Crisis Communications Plans & Drills Pre-crisis preparation services including development of comprehensive Crisis Communication Plans and facilitated crisis drills that simulate actual crises to test organizational readiness and staff response capabilities.
- Media Training Training services to prepare staff and media spokespersons for high-stakes situations, teaching effective on-camera and public speaking skills, message delivery, and strategic question handling for print and broadcast interviews.
- Litigation Communications Support Communications support for legal teams helping clients prepare for the 'Court of Public Opinion' alongside the 'Court of Law,' including messaging for lawsuits, criminal charges, medical malpractice claims, and intellectual property disputes.
- Accidents and Threats Solutions Crisis communications solutions for accidents, environmental incidents, industrial accidents, and threat situations including pipeline spills, chemical releases, product recalls, and shooting incidents.
- Misconduct Solutions Crisis communications handling for workplace misconduct including sexual misconduct allegations, employee theft, resident abuse, and criminal activity by executives.
- Changes & Labor Issues Solutions Strategic communications for organizational changes, mergers and acquisitions, CEO transitions, labor disputes, and community relations challenges.
Quantifiable outcome
- One of only 21 communications consultancies in the U.S. included in Chambers and Partners 2026 Crisis & Risk Management guide
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hennes Communications
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Hennes Communications technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hennes Communications partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and flagship.
- AKCG - Public Relations CounselorsmajorHennes Communications became a division of AKCG - Public Relations Counselors in May 2026. AKCG, headquartered in the Greater Philadelphia area with offices in D.C., brought additional depth to crisis communications services and expanded capabilities in reputation management. The acquisition brought together two long-established national crisis communications agencies.
- Ohio University Scripps College of CommunicationcorePartnership allowing seminar participants to earn graduate certificate credit. Participants who attended selected Hennes Communications seminars can convert one hour of seminar training to one credit hour towards a 12-hour graduate certificate in crisis communication. Bruce Hennes appointed as research assistant professor within the Scripps College of Communication.
- Indiana School Boards AssociationcorePartnership to provide crisis management and communications consulting services to public school districts in Indiana. Hennes Communications is the preferred provider for crisis communications services for ISBA member districts.
- Florida School Boards AssociationcorePartnership with FSBA to provide issues management, crisis management, and strategic communications services to Florida school districts facing challenges to their reputations and operations.
- Ohio School Boards AssociationcorePartnership to provide crisis management and communications consulting services to Ohio public school districts.
- Arizona School Boards AssociationcorePartnership to provide crisis management and communications consulting services to Arizona public school districts.
- Consortium of State School Boards AssociationsflagshipHennes Communications named as preferred provider of crisis communications services for the Consortium, which represents 25 state school boards associations covering over 7,100 public school districts in the U.S.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hennes Communications competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Brunswick Group: Global communications advisory firm with strong crisis and critical situations practice; serves many of the same enterprise and corporate-investor clients as Hennes, with significantly more international scale.
- FTI Consulting (Strategic Communications): Large global advisory firm with a dedicated Strategic Communications segment that includes crisis and litigation communications; broader portfolio but directly overlapping practice area.
- Burson (formerly BCW): Large global communications firm with crisis and issues management capabilities; comparable practice areas but a generalized portfolio rather than a crisis-only focus.
- Edelman (Crisis & Risk): Global PR firm with a dedicated Crisis & Risk practice; comparable services across crisis response, litigation communications, and reputation management, with substantially larger headcount and global reach.
Direct peers
- Kekst CNC: Global crisis communications consultancy serving corporates, boards, and investor audiences; comparable in delivering senior-led crisis counsel, M&A communications, and reputation defense.
- AKCG - Public Relations Counselors: Strategic communications firm that acquired Hennes Communications in May 2026; closely comparable services in crisis communications, issues management, and reputation management with deeper enterprise delivery capacity.
- Levick Strategic Communications: Specialist crisis and litigation communications firm serving corporations, boards, and high-profile individuals; directly comparable positioning to Hennes in crisis response, media strategy, and reputation defense.
- Sitrick And Company: Specialist crisis, litigation, and corporate communications firm; comparable senior practitioner model and exclusive focus on high-stakes communications matters.
Emerging players
- Mercury Public Affairs: Public affairs and crisis communications firm with comparable government, corporate, and litigation crisis work; partial overlap with Hennes' public-sector and high-profile crisis engagements.
Regional players
- Rhodium Group (Communications): Public affairs and crisis firm with strong state and regional government practice; comparable advisor model for education and government clients, though more regionally concentrated in the U.S.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hennes Communications social profiles
Digital presenceHennes Communications financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hennes Communications leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Hennes Communications funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hennes Communications M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hennes Communications
What does Hennes Communications do?
Hennes Communications provides crisis communications and crisis management consulting services to organizations facing reputational threats. Core offerings include crisis response strategy, crisis communications plan development and drills, media training, litigation communications support, and reputation management services. The firm also conducts CLE-certified seminars for attorneys and educators, and publishes the Crisis Communications Today newsletter.
Is Hennes Communications a public or private company?
Hennes Communications is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Hennes Communications founded?
Hennes Communications was founded in 1989. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hennes Communications based?
Hennes Communications is headquartered in Cleveland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hennes Communications make money?
One revenue line is on record: crisis Communications Consulting.
Who are Hennes Communications's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Brunswick Group, FTI Consulting (Strategic Communications), Burson (formerly BCW) and Edelman (Crisis & Risk). Direct peers are Kekst CNC, AKCG - Public Relations Counselors, Levick Strategic Communications and Sitrick And Company. Mercury Public Affairs is listed as an emerging player. Rhodium Group (Communications) is listed as a regional player.
Does Hennes Communications have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hennes Communications.
What industry is Hennes Communications in?
Hennes Communications's product category is Crisis Communications Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAADAF, Crisis Communications & Issues Management, with a secondary code of MPAAAOAD, Crisis Communications Planning & Response. Its NAICS code is 54182 and its SIC code is 8742.