Business owners need to be prepared for unforeseen events that could disrupt, and potentially destroy, what they have worked so hard to build.

That's the message the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce hopes to convey during its business contingency planning workshop March 18. The goal is not to scare participants but to let them know that 40 percent of companies that experience a disaster never recover, said Rimon Moses, of RMM Solutions in Wausau, who will serve as one of the workshop's presenters.

"Everybody needs a plan," said Moses, who will discuss ways businesses can protect themselves through information technology. "How do people protect their investment in their business, protect their employees, protect their customers and protect their name and integrity?"

When people think of disasters, they most often envision hurricanes, fires, or, in this area, tornadoes. More likely, their companies are at risk of a major power failure, such as the one that knocked out electricity to 3 million people in Florida late last month, or an act of internal sabotage by a disgruntled employee, Moses said.

A contingency plan can be as simple as identifying and relaying sensitive information that could otherwise vanish with the loss of a key employee, said David Eckmann, the Chamber's economic development director. Other topics at the workshop will include insurance coverage and legal planning.

"What it's intended to do is get the small-business owner beginning to build a plan in those areas," Eckmann said. "Everybody's plan is going to be different, but this covers a wide range of things people should be looking at.

"This isn't just for small businesses. There's a lot of mid- to large-sized businesses that have gaps. Sometimes you just forget about the basic things you need to have in place, and when those things happen, businesses close."