The ever-changing political and economic landscape poses many questions for both new and established organizations. How will proposed legislation impact my business? What can I do to achieve increased brand awareness and become a resource to elected officials and other decisionmakers? What is the best way to ensure the conversation surrounding my industry is favorable? How can we circumvent naysayers and competitors from impeding how we do business?
Public affairs is a means to answer these types of important questions for businesses, whether they are a startup or Fortune 500 company. By staying ahead of the legislative and regulatory environments or identifying new opportunities, public affairs consultants serve as an insurance policy to assess risk and reward, share political intelligence, as well as walk businesses through the complexities of local, state and federal governments.
The tie that binds the work of McGuireWoods Consulting is our longstanding, close relationships with lawmakers and regulators around the country. The firm is well respected among all levels of government, and our consultants leverage this notoriety along with our services to position for success in state government.
Getting Ahead
In the complex world of public affairs, the work begins long before legislation is filed, budgets are drafted, agency rules are considered and requests for proposals are posted. It begins with gathering intelligence, identifying the players, understanding competing interests and providing a lay of the land to navigate timelines and expectations.
Public affairs professionals bring years of cultivated relationships, industry expertise and strategic plans to aid clients in reaching their bottom line. This ensures clients stay ahead of the curve when it comes to legislative trends, procurement opportunities and community engagement. Consultants study the governmental landscape for clients and determine the most reasonable and successful outcomes for an organization. Companies who utilize public affairs teams position themselves as proactive rather than .
For over a decade, we have represented a national entertainment industry association to promote their segment’s growing footprint in Texas. The Governor’s Economic Development Office offers an incentive program to promote these types of economic development projects to local communities.
Since 2015, the amount of grant money has not kept up with the demand for the industry and companies began looking more seriously at other states and countries to relocate or build new studios. As time has progressed, the industry’s stakeholders banded together to show the legislature the significant return on investment provided by movies, commercials, television, digital media and video games produced in Texas. As advocates for the industry, we have successfully increased this program from $30 million every two years to $350 million every two years in eligible funds for qualified projects.
New Opportunities
With these leveraged relationships come new opportunities for organizations looking for funding, expansion or connections. McGuireWoods Consulting’s regular communication with stakeholders enables our team to identify business development leads far beyond what an internal sales team can do. Our consultants’ knowledge of the political, legislative and regulatory landscape guides clients down the most successful path to achieve their business goals.
For example, a current fintech client has had a longstanding relationship and significant contract with a state agency. As we continue to strengthen their relationships with the primary agency staff, other opportunities have developed for the client to pursue with state agencies that would not have typically been top of mind. We discovered their fintech application can also be utilized effectively in health and human services, criminal justice, transportation and higher education. The success of their current state contract gives the company additional influence and institutional support for expanding their business while building on their exceptional reputation within state government. Triangulating clients’ offerings with needs throughout government is how we think outside the box for future growth.
Risk Mitigation
As individuals and businesses, we have insurance policies for most aspects of life to protect ourselves when challenges arise. Public affairs teams should be part of an organization’s risk mitigation plans. These professionals follow trends from state-to-state, identify solutions that work between public and private sectors, and have up close and personal experience on how to navigate the uncertainties of politics. We know firsthand when it is the right time to engage with decisionmakers and can also advise on a company’s plan to seek significant policy changes when the timing is not right
For decades, Texas statutes have recognized two model plumbing codes. This dual-code framework has enabled flexibility and competition while ensuring that Texas’s 70,000 licensed plumbers are equipped to work in all jurisdictions, regardless of the locally adopted plumbing code.
For the last three legislative sessions, our team represented a large plumbing trade organization and successfully fought against the passage of legislation that would create a statewide mandate for a uniform plumbing code. If passed, this bill would burden local jurisdictions with significant costs related to rewriting codes, purchasing new materials, retraining officials and navigating the downstream impacts. These costs were likely to be passed on to consumers and were successfully circumvented by the McGuireWoods Consulting Texas state government relations team.
The Bottom Line
Navigating complex governmental landscapes and protecting organizational interests are achieved through a variety of services including lobbying, tracking and monitoring legislation, mobilizing grassroots and grasstops advocacy and providing strategic communications thus creating a full-service public relations effort. Working with a team that responds to roadblocks quickly, effectively and professionally is the key to an organization thriving and expanding their bottom line.
