Author: ally

PPHC (NASDAQ: PPHC) (AIM: PPHC.L), a leading global strategic communications provider, today announced that it has acquired The Advocacy Partners (“TAP”, the “Acquisition”, or the “Firm”), one of Florida’s pre-eminent government relations firms. The Acquisition is immediately earnings accretive. Founded more than two decades ago, The Advocacy Partners has built one of the deepest bipartisan relationship networks in Tallahassee and a recurring, blue-chip client base spanning many of the most regulated sectors of the U.S. economy.

Acquisition Highlights

• The Advocacy Partners advises a blue-chip roster of corporates, trade associations and institutional clients on legislative, regulatory, procurement and executive-branch matters across the State of Florida.
• Immediately earnings-accretive acquisition that establishes PPHC’s position in Florida, one of the fastest growing U.S. states, the fourth largest state economy in the U.S., and an economy that, if measured as a sovereign nation, would rank among the top 15 globally.
• Significantly builds on PPHC’s coast-to-coast, market-leading state lobbying network purpose-built for a policy and communications environment in which critical decisions are increasingly moving from Washington to the state level.
• Backed by a track record of consistent revenue growth, sector expansion, and high client retention over more than two decades, underscoring the durability of the franchise and the strength of the relationships on which it is built.
• Slater Bayliss and Stephen Shiver will continue to lead TAP, which will retain its brand, its full team of professionals, and the operating culture that has defined its success.

Strategic Rationale

The Acquisition continues the execution of PPHC’s long-stated M&A strategy of bringing together and growing a portfolio of complementary, highly profitable businesses through two clear lenses: enhancing capability and targeting key geographies. TAP satisfies both criteria in a single transaction, adding a highly respected, premium-margin Florida government relations practice that fills a strategically significant gap in the Group’s U.S. state footprint.

Strategically, the Acquisition extends the thesis that drove PPHC’s investments in California and Texas: establishing deep, durable presences in the states whose economies and policy agendas set the tone for the rest of the U.S. The addition gives PPHC market-leading positions across three of the largest, fastest-growing and most policy-active state markets in the US. Together with
the comprehensive national state-level coverage provided by PPHC Member Company MultiState, this creates a state-based government affairs footprint unmatched in the industry.

The addition of TAP also deepens the Group’s integrated federal-and-state offering. PPHC’s clients increasingly engage the Group to advise at the federal level on legislation, regulation and agency action that requires substantial downstream work at the state level: implementation, appropriations, regulatory rule-makings, procurement and stakeholder engagement. TAP will work hand-in-hand with PPHC’s federal and award-winning Corporate Communications and Public Affairs teams to deliver this downstream work in Florida, creating a recurring cross-sell opportunity for the Group.

TAP was co-founded by Slater Bayliss and Stephen Shiver. Bayliss, a two-decade veteran of Florida politics and public policy, served in the Administration of Governor Jeb Bush and has been recognized by INFLUENCE magazine as one of the most influential people in Florida politics and by The Florida Standard as one of Florida’s top 10 lobbyists. Shiver has more than 20 years of experience in politics and public policy and has served directly and indirectly for numerous current and former members of the Florida Legislature, including many who hold leadership positions today.

TAP’s market position is highly differentiated. It is consistently ranked among the most influential government relations practices in Tallahassee, with principals who have direct senior-level policymaking experience, a bipartisan team of practitioners with deep expertise across the Legislature, the Governor’s office and state agencies, and a track record of consistent revenue growth and high client retention over more than two decades.

Stewart Hall, CEO of PPHC, commented:

“Led by two founders who built a high-margin business serving a blue-chip client base in one of America’s most important policy markets, we are very excited to welcome The Advocacy Partners to PPHC. What excites us most is the people, the relationships, and the opportunities it creates.

Slater, Stephen, and their team have spent more than two decades building one of the most trusted, senior and respected practices in Florida, and a firm whose clients stay because the counsel is consistently exceptional. For our clients, this Acquisition unlocks integrated, senior-level advocacy in a state that increasingly drives national policy debates. Combined with our other U.S. State Government Relations assets nationally, this gives clients a coast-to-coast state government affairs offering that no other can match.”

Slater Bayliss, Co-Founder, The Advocacy Partners, commented:

“For more than two decades, we have built The Advocacy Partners around the conviction that great government relations work begins and ends with people. The team you put in front of clients and the trusted relationships those professionals carry into the rooms that matter. PPHC shares that conviction. Joining the Group allows us to keep doing what we do best for our clients while adding the breadth of a federal team, a national sector practice and an international network that materially expands what we can deliver. We are excited about the opportunities this creates for our colleagues, for our clients and for the next generation of leaders we are building at the Firm.”

Stephen Shiver, Co-Founder, The Advocacy Partners, added:

“Over the years, we have had conversations with a number of organizations, but the people at PPHC made this opportunity stand out. We share a core belief that relationships matter, culture matters, and reputation is earned over decades, not transactions. We are joining an organization that appreciates the foundation that has made TAP successful and wants to build on it.”

FTP Advocacy Intelligence Provides Advanced Message Testing and Legislative Monitoring Tools That Leverage the Firm’s Policy, Politics, and Public Affairs Expertise

WASHINGTON, D.C. — FTP, a leading bipartisan public affairs and government relations firm, unveiled FTP Advocacy Intelligence (FTP AI), the organization’s newest initiative, focused on developing AI-enabled solutions that help clients stay ahead of the policy curve.

“FTP Advocacy Intelligence is a force multiplier,” said Robert Mathias, Managing Partner at FTP. “It enables our seasoned practitioners to keep even closer tabs on critical legislation, deliver sharp and strategic policy insights, and test high-impact messaging and narratives in real time – a tremendous boon to any organization in every industry.”

FTP AI’s initial projects include:

• 2026 Election Dashboard – A real-time polling, prediction market, and candidate fundraising tracker that captures data from every major U.S. House and Senate race, all in one easy-to-use platform.
• Artificial Intelligence Dashboard Edge (AIDE) – An AI-fueled policy dashboard that mitigates information overload by organizing daily deluges of bills, hearings, news, and market-moving events into clear, focused intelligence. AIDE provides clients with a custom interface tailored to specific issue areas, keeping policy teams sharp and informed.
• Synthetic Created and ai-Optimized Respondent Ecosystem (SCORE) – Custom synthetic audiences to help clients better understand how different stakeholders respond to crisis events messages, test campaign strategies, and seek a better understanding of issues, audience beliefs, and behaviors. The real-time approach pairs advanced audience models with our deep experience in advocacy, policy, and public affairs to pressure test narratives, refine language, and anticipate problems and opportunities before campaigns go live.

FTP Advocacy Intelligence augments the firm’s long-running data and insights offerings, including Beltway Social, a proprietary listening and analysis tool that cuts through the clutter of social media and news conversations to provide clients with a clear picture of emerging issues in key markets. FTP plans to launch a custom Beltway Social report on data centers soon.

FTP recently launched a new website that offers a one-stop shop for FTP Advocacy Intelligence, Beltway Social, and the firm’s other tools and resources. Learn more at ftpadvocacy.com.

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PPHC (“the Company”) (NASDAQ: PPHC), a leading global strategic communications provider offering a comprehensive range of advisory services in the areas of Government Relations, Public Affairs and Corporate Communications, today announced that Seven Letter, a PPHC member company, has strengthened its New England and Washington, D.C. public affairs offering with the addition of Greg Honan as Managing Director in the firm’s Boston office and Esther Lynch as Content Specialist in Washington, D.C.

The appointments come as Seven Letter, PPHC’s strategic communications agency with a specialty in bipartisan public affairs, approaches its 20th anniversary and continues to invest in senior talent. Honan’s combination of local government communications experience and service in the federal government — from Boston City Hall to the White House — supports both the firm’s growing Boston client base and its Washington, D.C. public affairs practice.

Honan brings more than a decade of experience in politics, communications and media to Seven Letter. Deeply rooted in New England, he began his career at the Harvard Kennedy School advising the late David Gergen, former CNN Senior Political Analyst and Professor of Public Service. He went on to serve as Director of Message Planning and Special Assistant to the President at the White House, where he coordinated communications planning for events, trips and interviews for President Joe Biden, and as Chief of Staff to the White House Communications Director. He most recently served as Deputy Chief of Communications for the City of Boston, advising Mayor Michelle Wu and leading her communications, press, digital and speechwriting teams. Greg Honan will work out of Seven Letter’s Boston, MA office.

Before his time in government, Honan served as Communications Director at With Honor Action and worked on the 2020 Democratic National Convention and the 2021 Presidential Inaugural Committee. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Elon University and a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a John C. Culver Scholar and Belfer International and Global Affairs Student Fellow.

“More than ever, clients are looking for counselors who bring extensive experience to the table and who have been in rooms when decisions are made. Greg’s work with Mayor Wu and his experience at the highest level of national politics is already benefiting our clients, and we are pleased to have him as part of our growing Boston practice and presence in New England,” said Drew O’Brien, Partner at Seven Letter.

Lynch joins Seven Letter as a Content Specialist in the Washington, D.C. office, bringing experience across three continents. She has supported workforce access policy at Enable UK in Scotland, researched corporate social responsibility and human rights risk at the Mekong Club in Hong Kong, and contributed to ESG strategy at The Estée Lauder Companies. She joins Seven Letter after completing two semesters of the firm’s fellowship program. Lynch holds a degree in Political Science and Global Affairs from the University of Notre Dame and speaks English and French natively, with intermediate proficiency in Chinese.

“Greg and Esther represent exactly the kind of talent that keeps Seven Letter moving forward. Greg Honan brings deep experience at the highest levels of government communications, and Esther Lynch has already proven herself around the world and in our competitive fellowship program. We are pleased to welcome them both to the team,” said Erik Smith, CEO and founding partner of Seven Letter.

“Our continued investment in senior talent reflects the strength of Seven Letter and their focus on client service. Appointments of this caliber deepen the expertise available to clients across the Group,” said Stewart Hall, CEO of PPHC.

About Seven Letter

Seven Letter, a PPHC company, specializes in bipartisan public affairs, corporate communications, crisis management, message development and digital engagement, with offices in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York and Los Angeles. Seven Letter Labs combines technology-enabled audience targeting and award-winning creative content to shape reputation, market position and public policy among elite audiences. Seven Letter Insight, the firm’s in-house team of data scientists, blends the art and science of communication through qualitative and quantitative strategies to understand consumer intelligence and create and refine compelling narratives and persuasive messages. Seven Letter has been named to the PR News Agency Elite for the last five consecutive years and is a multi-year PR News “Top Places to Work” and PRWeek “Best Place to Work” award winner.

TrailRunner International (TRI) has been recognized with a PRSA Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for Integrated Communications in the Consumer Services category for its work with Charles Schwab on National Investing Day 2025.

Silver Anvil Awards celebrate the best strategic public relations campaigns of the year, as well as outstanding organizational excellence. This is TRI’s first year receiving the prestigious award from PRSA.

This recognition marks a meaningful milestone for the firm. Launched in May 2025, National Investing Day was Schwab’s inaugural campaign. In partnership with Schwab, Ruth Communications, and TRI’s internal team, the effort delivered an integrated campaign that resonated with audiences.

TrailRunner International has been named one of the best agencies in the United States as part of PRovoke Media’s 2026 Top Agencies in North America for the second consecutive year.

This recognition reflects the dedication, partnership, and excellence TrailRunner’s global team brings to clients every day. 

Vist PRovoke Media for more details.