If your reputation, fortune or political future is at stake, he’s the man you call to convince the public, the politicians or the judge that you’re in the right.

A rising star in the public affairs and corporate communications, arenas, Adam Alberti is responsible for more than $5 billion in major real-estate development projects at the San Francisco-based firm.

Experts say that unless farmers can provide an explanation and a solution, as Jack in the Box and Odwalla did for E. coli contamination in years past, it will be tough to regain consumers' trust.

Alberti, 33, works with some of the most contentious issues in San Francisco and on the Peninsula through his work at public relations firm Singer Associates Inc.

Corporate Social Responsibility for Environmental Communications Winner: PR News Turning Garbage Into Gold – California law requires that 50 percent of garbage be recycled. San Francisco was falling behind the requirements of the law in 2001. Norcal Waste Systems developed a three-color cart system, then turned to Singer Associates to get San Franciscans on board. [...]

While firms that specialize in consumer public relations or corporate reputation management lose sleep over how to measure the success of their efforts, Singer Associates founder and chief executive Sam Singer has no such worries.

Negotiations between BART management and unions lead to the inevitable talks and worries about a strike, threatening to give the region's already clogged freeways a coronary.

Singer employees include former journalists, press secretaries, marketing and advertising managers, and government relations specialists

Ambition has served Singer well in his career. He now runs one of the pre-eminent public affairs shops in the Bay Area and, perhaps, the West Coast.

Singer feels the essence of good crisis communications involves being clear, concise, and direct.