Red Banyan: Fort Lauderdale Crisis PR Agency Profile

Originally published 2020. Updated October 14, 2026.

What is Red Banyan?

Red Banyan is a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, crisis communications firm founded by Evan Nierman, who remains founder and CEO. The firm says it launched in late 2010 and offers crisis response, litigation PR, media training, corporate PR and reputation work for companies, law firms, institutions and individuals. It is privately held, with offices beyond Florida.

Who founded and leads Red Banyan?

Evan Nierman founded Red Banyan and serves as founder and CEO. A 2014 firm release called the company Red Banyan Group and described it as having offices in Florida and Washington, D.C. Nierman wrote Crisis Averted: PR Strategies to Protect Your Reputation and the Bottom Line, which CityBiz describes as drawing on two decades of advising companies, business leaders, officials and presidential candidates. His publisher biography says he can often be found in Washington, D.C., or at home in Florida. The firm reports that he won the Silver Award for Best Crisis Communications Leader at the Davos Communications Awards, where it says he was the only U.S. honoree in the category.

What does Red Banyan do?

Red Banyan provides crisis response and management, strategic communications and corporate PR, litigation PR, online reputation management and media training, according to a company profile. Its 2014 release described specialties in crisis PR, corporate public relations, legal PR and strategic communications. For background on the discipline, see EPR's crisis PR and online reputation management coverage, and its framework for choosing a crisis PR firm.

Which clients has Red Banyan worked with?

No Red Banyan client could be verified in this review. The firm describes serving corporate, legal and high-net-worth clients, and Nierman's book is described as drawing on work for leading companies, private individuals, government officials and presidential candidates, but no named engagements were confirmed. EPR's Florida directory has listed some past client names, and those were not re-verified here.

What recognition has Red Banyan received?

Red Banyan reports a first-time Band 4 ranking in the 2026 Chambers and Partners USA nationwide crisis PR and communications guide, inclusion on Inc.'s Power Partner Awards list in 2024 and 2025, and Clutch Global Awards in fall 2025, according to a third-party company profile that draws on the firm's own information. Nierman's Davos Communications Awards Silver is reported in a Red Banyan release without a year. These awards were not independently confirmed with the awarding bodies.

How does Red Banyan compare with other crisis and Florida PR firms?

Red Banyan is one of the crisis specialists EPR's Florida PR firms directory ranks, and it sits alongside national crisis firms such as Sitrick And Company and Reevemark. For reputation-focused firms see Status Labs, and for other agency interviews see the PR agency Q&A profiles hub. The PR agency profiles directory lists more firms.

2020 interview: how Red Banyan handled its own return to the office

EPR's 2020 interview with Evan Nierman, preserved here as a primary-source record, covers how a crisis communications firm managed its own operations during the pandemic.

Q: When did your team begin returning to the office?

A: Back in March when lockdowns began to take place throughout the country, Red Banyan followed suit in an effort to keep our employees and clients safe. We started bringing back members of the team to our Florida office in August, although our offices in Washington D.C., Atlanta and our newest L.A. location continue to operate remotely. Red Banyan has given our team members the choice to work wherever they feel safe and comfortable.

Q: How did you communicate with your employees regarding expectations related to remote work or returning to the office?

A: During the past few months working at home, Red Banyan has continued our morning daily huddle video call to connect with one another face to face. After careful consideration and following the latest state guidelines, Red Banyan's Florida employees were alerted via email and Slack about plans to reopen the office. Each team member was given a couple of weeks to decide whether returning to the office felt right for them. There are no expectations with regards to returning to the office; each employee is welcome to come or to stay at home, no questions asked.

Q: What steps did you take to protect employees before they returned?

A: Before our employees officially returned to the office, we hired a cleaning company to come in and sanitize the entire space. Every surface is wiped down and sanitized on a daily basis. We purchased an abundance of PPE supplies, from face masks to hand sanitizer and disinfectant sprays. With fewer people coming in than before, we have the ability to give each in-office employee his or her own office.

Q: How has the office changed since the COVID-19 pandemic?

A: The office is a lot quieter with half the people. With everyone in their own office, employees have been extremely dialed into their work. We host weekly Zoom happy hours, trivia nights, and set aside times for our team members to share slideshows of their vacation pictures.

Q: Do you find your team able to operate effectively working remote?

A: Without a doubt, our team hasn't missed a beat. Accountability is one of our core values at Red Banyan. I never doubted for a moment that my team would maintain the same standards of excellence, even while working from home.

Q: What's been the biggest challenge to not having a full team in the office?

A: Making sure remote workers are every bit as informed on all the details as everyone physically in the office. Making sure there is no separation between those coming in and those at home is something we've been able to work towards overcoming with new technology. As a strategic communications firm, we have a team of excellent communicators which makes it easier.

Q: What's the biggest lesson you learned from the pandemic?

A: The culture that Red Banyan has built during this pandemic is incredibly strong. It has been heartening to witness the many ways our team has banded together. It has made me proud of what we have created together: a supportive and collaborative environment where every member thrives professionally and personally.

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Related: PR agency profiles, Florida PR firms, Crisis PR, Sitrick And Company, Reevemark