Response Services

Troubleshooting

Throughout the Vietnam War, Michelin processed rubber from plantations throughout the country. DeBeers mined diamonds without pause during the 25-year Angolan civil war. In El Salvador, sugar and coffee were grown, harvested, and sold each year throughout the 12-year civil war. In a recent press release, a prominent Texas-based petroleum company resumed oil production in Colombia after signing a contract with the Colombian military for around-the-clock security.

What these four incidents reflect is success in sensitive negotiations between warring factions; a risky undertaking limited to professionals who have a clear understanding of the causes and effects of hostilities. Many profitable business opportunities exist in countries experiencing civil unrest or war. Working with VDI, clients can gain access to these unstable but profitable markets. For those organizations already doing business in international trouble spots, we specialize in the quiet negotiation of disputes with other companies and host governments.

Release of Incarcerated Persons

Many countries function under a poorly defined, immature, and corrupt justice system that makes possible the arrest and long-term incarceration of an organization’s employees without probable cause or warning. Many business people are arrested and detained abroad each year because of business disputes, currency violations, labor law infractions, or similar charges. In some situations the charges are justified; however, in some cases the individual simply did not understand the law, or they were arrested at the behest of someone more powerful. We do not perform “Rambo” style jailbreaks but rely instead upon influential intermediaries who can bring about the quiet release of an incarcerated person, and help us discreetly transport them to freedom.

Crisis Management

A crisis can be defined as any normally unexpected event that can have a significant impact on an organization, its employees or the community in which it operates. These events include natural disasters, kidnappings, terrorism, product contamination and many others. The initial step in developing a capable crisis management program is that of identifying potential crisis events. Not every client is preoccupied with the same events, and these differ based of geographic, political and other considerations. VDI develops crisis management programs that cover the entire range of possibilities, from initial evaluation, risk assessment and planning; to preparation of written crisis management plans, development of response strategies and tactics; scenario-based training programs for participants; and, continuous evaluation of lessons learned and retro alimentation. We also provide 24/7 on-call crisis management support to clients anywhere in the world. Our experts deploy immediately to be on site with the client and provide experienced, hands-on management of any type of crisis situation that occurs.