Category: News

Alpine Group’s Keenan Austin Reed Awarded Lobbyist of the Year at WGRG’s Tin Cup Awards

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WASHINGTON, DC – Washington Government Relations Group (WGRG) held the twelfth Annual Tin Cup Awards on Wednesday evening where the group presented Keenan Austin Reed, Executive Vice President at Alpine Group, with the prestigious Reginald “Reg” Gilliam Lobbyist of the Year Award. The Reginald “Reg” Gilliam Lobbyist of the Year Award is granted annually to an outstanding African-American lobbyist selected by WGRG, a non-partisan, independent, volunteer association whose goal is to enhance the leadership prowess and careers of African-American government relations professionals.

“I am both honored and humbled to receive this award from a group of my peers. I feel fortunate to do such rewarding work alongside so many talented professionals. Lobbying is a team sport, and this recognition underscores our collective effort to serve as a critical tool of our democracy, amplify the concerns of the unheard and champion causes that desperately need attention. I remain committed to using my platform to drive positive change.”

–Keenan Austin Reed, Executive Vice President, Alpine Group

In addition to her work at Alpine, Reed is the Chair and Co-Founder of the Black Women’s Congressional Alliance (BWCA), Advisory Council Chair at GlobalWIN, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) Corporate Advisory Council, and Vice Chair of SOME’s (So Others May Eat) Corporate Advisory Board. In May of 2021, Reed testified before the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. The focus of her testimony was recruiting, maintaining, and empowering diverse congressional staff.

Read Alpine Group’s full press release here.

PPHC Announces Chief Financial Officer Succession; Roel Smits Elevated

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PPHC is pleased to announce that, as part of its executive officer succession planning, Roel Smits has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer with immediate effect.

Founding CFO Bill Chess remains on the Board as Executive Director and will assume the new position of Chief Administrative Officer, reporting directly to the CEO, where he will drive internal efficiency and collaboration.

Roel joined PPHC in May 2022 as Deputy CFO. He has previously acted as CFO at Kantar, the data analytics and brand consulting company owned by WPP and Bain Capital, most recently for Americas and prior also for Asia-Pacific and Africa. Prior to that, he performed senior roles at WPP (Senior VP of Corporate Development) and Dutch private equity family office HAL Investments BV. Roel has a Masters in Finance from London Business School, as well as a Masters in Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam and an MBA in Marketing from Michigan State University.  

It is the intention that Roel will join the Board in due course subject to completion of customary due diligence and regulatory procedures.

“The appointment of Roel to the position of CFO and of Bill to the new position of Chief Administrative Officer is the result of careful succession planning and adds additional strength to the executive team. Since our IPO in December 2021, we have created a business delivering revenues of over $100m with strong EBITDA margins between 25% and 30% and we are looking forward to building on this progress in the coming years.“

-Simon Lee, Chairman, PPHC

“I am delighted to take on the role of PPHC’s CFO as we continue to deliver our clearly stated strategy and benefit from the ever-increasing importance that corporates globally are placing on government relations and public affairs. In addition to continued organic growth, PPHC is actively in discussions with a number of potential acquisition targets, both in the US and internationally – I am excited by the potential for significant growth that lies head for the Group. With deepest respect I thank my predecessor Bill Chess for all he has done for PPHC since its inception in 2014.”

-Roel Smits, CFO, PPHC

“Being part of the team that has propelled PPHC into becoming the largest provider of federal lobbying services in the US continues to be an incredible journey.  I’m looking forward to working in my new role to drive internal efficiency and collaboration as we deliver on our organic and acquisitive growth plan.“

-Bill Chess, Chief Administrative Officer, PPHC

PPHC Remains the Leader in Bloomberg Government 2022 Report

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WASHINGTON – PPHC maintains its position as leader of the top-performing lobbying firms in Bloomberg Government’s 2022 report. Forbes Tate Partners, Crossroads Strategies, and Alpine Group Partners each earned a spot on the list, with their combined 2022 federal lobbying disclosure revenues reaching $66.5 million.

Forbes Tate Partners once again earned a spot amongst the top 10 lobbying firms with the highest revenue, while Crossroads Strategies was named as a ‘Standout’ firm. The standout distinction was given to firms that retained 80% or more of their clients from 2021, retained 60% or more of their clients over three years, and earned $550,000 or more in revenue per lobbyist.

 

Read the full RNS announcement from PPHC here.

Download the full Bloomberg Government 2022 report here.

Seven Letter Adds Two New Senior-level Positions for Public Affairs Veterans Blair Taylor & Maura Hogan

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WASHINGTON – Seven Letter announced today that two new senior-level positions have been added to the strategic communications firm for new hires Blair Taylor and Maura Hogan. Taylor will be operating out of Seven Letter’s DC office as Managing Director, while Hogan will be working in Seven Letter’s Boston office as Senior Director.

Taylor joins the firm after almost a decade of work in the public sector as a senior communications advisor on Capitol Hill. Her most recent role as Communications Director for Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) and the Senate Appropriations Committee involved the navigation of many high-intensity, crisis situations including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the fight for border wall resources. Blair not only brings this experience with her to Seven Letter, but also a deep expertise in appropriations, defense, energy, health care, and financial services policy.

Hogan brings over a decade of both public and private sector experience to Seven Letter and her most recently held position was Senior Vice President at Direct Impact-Burson, Cohn, & Wolf (BCW). Hogan’s addition enhances the firm’s corporate communications offering with her specialization in corporate reputation, executive visibility, public affairs, and ESG/sustainability. Prior to joining the private sector, Hogan worked at the US Department of State where she served as digital communications advisor to Secretary of State John F. Kerry and chief liaison to the White House Office of Digital Strategy.

Read more about the newest additions to the Seven Letter team here.

PPHC Acquires MultiState to Broaden Client Offering and Footprint

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  • $22m acquisition “fits perfectly” with PPHC strategy – PPHC CEO, Stewart Hall
  • Geographical footprint broadened to all 50 US states and across Canada
  • Enables PPHC to extend client offering into more areas, e.g. research and compliance
  • Significant cross-referring of business between MultiState and existing PPHC brands expected

The government relations and public affairs holding company PPHC is continuing to execute on its stated growth strategy and has acquired MultiState Associates, one of the largest state and local government relations specialists, for $22m. Read the full acquisition announcement here.

The deal gives PPHC a significantly expanded footprint with operations in all 50 US states as well as across Canada. It also enables PPHC to broaden its client offering given MultiState’s strength in the areas of research and compliance.

The combination of the two businesses is therefore highly complementary and a significant level of cross-referring of business between MultiState and the six other brands within PPHC’s broader network is expected. PPHC’s other brands include Crossroads Strategies, Forbes Tate Partners, Seven Letter, O’Neill & Associates, Alpine Group Partners and KP Public Affairs.

MultiState was founded in 1984 and has its headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. It has over 300 corporate clients including several Fortune 500 constituents and has gained particular expertise over the years in representing some of the world’s best-known organisations on issues of local, state, and national importance. MultiState’s 77 employees – including all senior executives – will remain with the business.

PPHC has been undergoing significant growth and acquired KP Public Affairs, the largest advocacy and PR firm in California, for $25m in October 2022 – the most recent acquisition prior to MultiState. The pipeline of potential acquisition opportunities under development remains strong and, in considering each possible deal, PPHC will continue to look to broaden its geographical footprint, both in the US and internationally, and its service offering.

Stewart Hall, CEO of PPHC, commented:

“The acquisition of MultiState fits perfectly with our strategy of broadening our geographic footprint into key US state capitals and metropolitan areas, while extending our offering by adding key service capabilities in research and compliance. MultiState has a talented team and its strategic capabilities will solidify PPHC’s leadership position as the largest and most comprehensive public policy firm in the US. Linking our well-established businesses in Washington DC, Sacramento, California and Boston, Massachusetts to MultiState’s network in 50 states makes the Group uniquely suited to support corporate clients in the most complex risks and opportunities they face.

“Our growth in the resilient and fragmented $17+bn US strategic communications market is driven by increased inter-connectedness of federal, state and international policies and risk exposure. I am confident that our combined businesses will benefit greatly from new capabilities, new geographies and new client opportunities.”

Joseph Crosby, CEO of MultiState, commented:

“PPHC is bringing together highly specialised government relations businesses at a scale that’s never been seen. This acquisition marks a significant milestone ​during​​ ​​​MultiState​’s 40th year in business as well as for each of my talented partners and colleagues.  It also marks a milestone for our clients and the industry, as federal and state policy issues are evermore interdependent and require the professionalism and seamless integration that only PPHC and MultiState now offer.”

Seven Letter Adds Mike Ricci as Partner, Kobina Yankah as Creative Director of Seven Letter Labs

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WASHINGTON – Mike Ricci is the newest Partner to be added to Seven Letter. Ricci joins the public affairs firm after working as Communications Director for Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. Bringing more than a decade of prior experience as top spokesperson for Republican House Speakers Paul Ryan and John Boehner, and given the current political climate, Ricci is a welcome addition to Seven Letter’s team.

Seven Letter also added the new position of Creative Director of Seven Letter Labs. Kobina Yankah joins the firm to take on this new role after working throughout the midterms as Creative Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Yankah has previously created content for New Line Cinema, the MLB, and the NBA, for which he earned a National Emmy Award.

Visit Seven Letter’s blog for more details.

PPHC Mourns the Loss of Alpine Group Founding Principal Greg Means 

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We are sad to share the news that Mr. Greg Means, a founding principal of Alpine Group and beloved member of the PPHC family, passed away on Sunday, February 5th. Greg grew Alpine Group from its founding to become one of the top 20 government relations firms in DC, all while remaining a dedicated husband, father, and friend to many. Greg will be deeply missed by his friends and colleagues at Alpine Group and across PPHC. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.  

Read Alpine Group’s full tribute to Greg Means on their website.  

PPHC Firms Finish Strong with ’22 LDA Revenues of +$66 Million

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WASHINGTON – U.S. federal lobbying disclosures for the fourth quarter of 2022 have been released, along with yearly totals for 2022. Remaining strong in the Top Twenty Lobbying Disclosure Act Revenue Rankings once again are PPHC’s three federal lobbying firms: Forbes Tate Partners, Crossroads Strategies, and Alpine Group. Combining the three firms’ Lobbying Disclosure Act revenue comes to a grand total of $66 million, surpassing that of the number one spot on the list.

See the full list from POLITICO here.

Forbes Tate Partners Acquires Engage

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Bipartisan Public Affairs Firm Formalizes Partnership with Leading Digital Advocacy Specialists

WASHINGTON – Forbes Tate Partners (FTP), a bipartisan, full-service, government relations and public affairs firm, today announced its acquisition of Engage, a DC-based digital media agency. The acquisition will cement the two firms’ long-standing partnership and enable the newly expanded FTP to advance its clients’ goals in even more seamless and productive ways in the face of an ever-changing advocacy market.

“Forbes Tate Partners just celebrated a decade in business,” said Jeff Forbes, FTP Founding Partner.  “Today’s announcement marks the next step in our firm’s evolution as we continue to deliver a competitive edge for our clients. Having successfully partnered with Engage on many projects in the past, we are confident they are a perfect fit for our firm’s culture. We are delighted to formally welcome them to the Forbes Tate family and to add their considerable ability and expertise to our team.”

Added FTP Founding Partner, Dan Tate, “The formalization of our partnership allows FTP a unique opportunity to add top-notch talent, expand our footprint, and, ultimately, be that much more effective on behalf of our combined group of clients, spanning the nation’s largest industries, from health care, energy and financial services to emerging technologies, telecommunications, and manufacturing.”

“Digital public affairs is hardly new, but Forbes Tate’s commitment to investing in innovation clearly sets them apart,” said Engage Managing Partner, Nick Schaper. “Engage has established best-in-class capabilities that blend winning creative and technology with decades of experience at the highest levels of public policy to achieve effective, measurable results.”

Engage Managing Partner, Erik Rapprich said, “We look forward to formally joining forces with our colleagues at Forbes Tate to begin this new chapter in our shared history and unlock the value of the significant opportunity ahead.”

Engage, a full-service digital agency providing technology, design and creative, advocacy, and advertising services, was founded in 2007 and employs 19 professionals who have partnered with Fortune 500 companies, leading advocacy organizations, and the largest trade associations in the United States.

In December ‘21, FTP went public on the London Stock Exchange AIM as part of the Public Policy Holding Company (stock ticker PPHC.L). It was once again recognized as one of Bloomberg Government’s top performing lobbying firms for 2021. Most recently, FTP was named a PRNEWS Top Elite 100 agency for 2023, a prestigious honor recognizing the firm as one of the leading public relations practices in the country.

To learn more about FTP and Engage, visit FTP’s website.