The September 11th attack
Firms called 'Ground Zero' find times tough

USA Today

Suppose you were unlucky enough to name your company Ground Zero.

You can stop supposing. At least 117 companies nationwide go by that name — from a Manhattan Web designer to a West Coast skateboard shop, says ReferenceUSA, a Web-based reference guide.

Each of those companies is feeling fallout from the national media's frequent use of the term "ground zero" for the World Trade Center's devastated site. Even though by strict definition, ground zero refers to the detonation spot of a nuclear blast.

So, what's a company named Ground Zero to do? Change the name, experts say.

"No company in its right mind would call itself Pearl Harbor or the Holocaust," says Charles Biondo, a New York-based specialist in corporate design. "People now associate ground zero with something very bad."

What's more, he says, that won't change. Even history books, he predicts, will use "ground zero" to refer to the disaster site.

Most companies named Ground Zero, however, aren't changing names yet. But many have changed how they do business, at least in small ways.

• Web designer: "We're not answering the phones 'Ground Zero' anymore," says Craig Winkelman, co-founder of the 10-year-old Manhattan firm. The company now answers with "Ground Zero Design."

More significantly, he says, "We're not aggressively pursuing new business leads right now. It's not the right time."

• Ad agency: Few businesses are more image-conscious than ad agencies. Eight years after creating waves on the West Coast for outside-the-box advertising, Ground Zero opened a New York office less than a year ago. Now, the boutique agency, whose clients include ESPN and Waterpik, must deal with the image issue of its own name.

"To run away from our name — and our reputation — would be a sad thing," says Andrew Gledhill, president of the agency. "But I'm not saying we'd never change it."

Agency CEO Jim Smith says it would consider renaming its two offices GZ West and GZ East.

• Auto body shop: The auto body shop in Rancho Cordova, Calif., has no plans to change its name, says Vice President Garrison Hartman. But Hartman says just a month ago, the company had ads promoting "Ground Zero Auto Body" on buses throughout the Sacramento area. Fortunately, he says, the campaign ended before the New York disaster.