Noralta Lodge

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Noralta before Incite

With nine full-service lodges, Noralta Lodge Ltd. provides premium accommodations to hundreds of companies across Northern Alberta. The company came to us in fall 2017 during the final stages of closing a $420M deal with Civeo, an American multinational publicly traded corporation specializing in accommodation services. Noralta wanted to announce that Civeo would be acquiring it, and needed a strategy to keep people focused, engaged, and confident throughout the transaction process.

Noralta with Incite

The turnaround between Noralta’s initial ask and the public announcement was very short, and Incite focused on finding a strategy that would retain employees through the four- to five-month transition. We developed a communication plan that included key messages about why this change would be good for Noralta, its employees, and its customers. Knowing Noralta had experienced strong performance in recent years, we wanted to reinforce that the transaction was coming from a positive place and was a way to build on Noralta’s success.

 

Along with the communication plan, we developed FAQ packages for Noralta’s managers to use as a tool for responding to questions asked by different stakeholders. We also worked closely with the management team to ensure communication remained consistent throughout the entire transaction. Monthly engagement surveys were sent out to staff, and senior-level management were interviewed after the announcement to identify and address any concerns.

 

All communication tools provided clear and consistent messaging that presented a positive and transparent narrative, which built both hope and trust in Noralta’s employees.

Our work with Noralta was a prime example of our ability to support clients through strategic transitions. The acquisition by Civeo had the potential to create some internal uncertainty, and by working closely with the Noralta leadership we were able to help clarify the opportunity the acquisition presented for Noralta’s people and build excitement for the road ahead.

- Ted Kouri, Founder & President, Incite

Outcomes

The strategic communication plan successfully delivered the results needed. Noralta was able to retain 100% of its senior management team leading up to the transition to Civeo, and voluntary staff turnover did not increase as a result of the announcement.

Incite’s advisory support before, during, and after the transaction was extremely valuable. They helped us articulate the right messaging and position the deal properly with Noralta’s key stakeholders, and helped us stay focused on the ‘important’ vs the ‘urgent.’ Ensuring our people were engaged, aligned, and bought in throughout the transition to Civeo was critical to the deal’s success, and Incite helped us make that happen.

- Corey Smith, President & CEO, Noralta Lodge

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