Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, has a full schedule this week in Washington, D.C.

A leading expert in government relations compliance, Bartz was featured in the “Successful State Lobbying Today” session of the Association of Government Relations Professionals State Lobbying LCP program on Monday, October 19.

On Tuesday, October 20, Bartz presented a webinar for the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC). She was joined by Gerard Dehrmann of Walmart Stores and SGAC President 2015-2016.

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, Inc., was invited to close out the last session for students in a five-week public affairs class at Kent State University. Bartz led a discussion of why it is so important to understand state and federal laws when assisting clients and how it may affect decision-making. She encouraged the students to stay true to themselves and remember to remain ethical during those tough decisions.

The class is for students in The School of Journalism and Mass Communications (JMC) who have an interest in government relations. JMC Director Thor Wasbotten also had a chance to stop by.

Enjoy these fun photos from the 2015 NCSL Legislative Forum in Seattle, Washington!

Many of you are working on your 2016 budgets, and I would suggest a few of the Public Affairs Council conferences be included to help with your government relations work.

If you have some funds left for 2015, attend the State and Local Government Relations conference from September 23-25 at the Hilton Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia. This is the absolute best 101 program to learn about state and local government relations. We have used this as a stepping-stone to all first-year staff to learn more about the subject.

The premiere conferences offered by the Council are in 2016—National Grassroots Conference, January 25-28 in Orlando, and the National PAC Conference in Miami from March 7-10. Yes, it is winter, and yes, they are in Florida. However, set that aside and think about the sessions where discussions are held about:

1. Case studies involving grassroots programs;
2. Branding your grassroots program;
3. Educating the members of your grassroots or PAC programs;
4. Ethics, Gift Rules, and Legal Guidance (my favorite session);
5. Engaging Senior Executives;
6. Operating a Successful PAC;
7. Communicating Across Generations;
8. Hosting a Candidate Fundraiser;
9. Auditing and Assessing Your PAC; and
10. Setting a Course for Your Professional Development.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I serve on the PAC Board of Directors (but there are 160 of us, so no one really notices me) and I am on the Advisory Committee for both of the 2016 conferences…But, that should show my commitment to the Council and how much I treasure and value its contributions to the public affairs industry.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call. I would be happy to discuss the value and importance.

Until next month, remember professional development is something you should always push for to help you with your career.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO

President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz has been featured in the milestone section of Crain’s Cleveland Business – Akron News.

Her dedication and hard work for the past 22 years has established State and Federal Communications, Inc. as the Compliance Standard in government affairs as it relates to state and federal laws and regulations.

You’ll find the feature article here.

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications is excited to stand with the Akron community in celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the Akron Urban League. The Urban League held its 90th Anniversary Gala event on Friday, August 21, 2015. Our company was proud to be a Gold Sponsor.

Bartz took to the stage to help with the event’s live auction. She serves as a member of the Urban League’s Board of Directors as well as on the 90th Anniversary Gala Committee.

Today’s Akron Roundtable featured Dr. Danielle Sarver Coombs, Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kent State University. In her presentation, “Come to the Party, Leave the Flip-Flopping at Home: Essential Lessons from the 2012 Republican Primaries,” Dr. Coombs  analyzed the 2012 presidential campaigns from the perspective of a communications expert and talked about what lessons 2012 might hold for the 2016 campaigns.

Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications presented the questions from the audience. You can listen to a recording of the talk on WKSU next Thursday at 8 p.m.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations. More than 96 percent of U.S. Chamber members are small businesses with 100 employees or fewer.

And State and Federal Communications, Inc. is one of those businesses. More important, this week we celebrate our 22^nd anniversary. In that time, we have grown from two employees to 40 employees. We are considered as one of the companies in NE Ohio providing good professional jobs to the community.

I believe I write about our anniversary every July because it is an important one not only for us but for you, our clients, who keep us motivated every day to continue to bring you updated information about lobbying, political contributions, and procurement issues in the states and now almost 300 municipalities.

We have grown to meet your needs in government relations and public affairs. And we are not going to stop.

1.     Our goal in 2015 is to provide a lobbying interface to help you keep track of your activities for federal reports. In fact, it is almost completed, and we will begin our testing. It is quite amazing, and you will find it easier to insure accurate filing of your LD-2 and LD-203 filings.
2.     Do you know how many times I show up in the Research Department and ask for them to add cities and counties… And they always find more to include. We know you are building facilities and offering services around the country, and these small cities and counties have ordinances affecting your activity. If you are missing one, let us know and we will look it up for you.
3.     And we are growing in more ways than one. In addition to staff, we have seven people expecting babies this quarter…Yes, you heard that right. Between July 5 and August 31, we will have six new State and Federal Communications babies. It is an exciting time for the staff.

There are times I truly miss researching updates, and I do miss preparing lobbying disclosure reports (even that pesky Wisconsin form), but I do love operating this company and making sure we are providing good benefits for the staff. I am excited when I see new cars in the parking lot or when new homes are purchased. I know they are deepening roots in the community and at State and Federal Communications. And, that, my friends is a WIN WIN for all of us.

Until next month, enjoy the holiday weekend, go to a baseball game, and enjoy the summer.

On June 30, State & Federal Communications attended United Way’s Thirteenth Annual Power of the Purse Luncheon.  Elizabeth Bartz, the company’s president and CEO, introduced Dr. Beverly Warren, president of Kent State University and the event’s keynote speaker.  Dr. Warren gave a talk about the importance of philanthropy and the impact that women have on their community.  She gave numerous examples of women philanthropists from Kent State and around Akron.

The recipient of the 2015 Barbara Matthews Woman Philanthropist of the Year Award was Dr. Deborah Plate, a Family Practice Physician at Akron General Hospital.  Her award was presented by the 2014 recipient, Wendy Bolas.

Last week, State & Federal Communications attended the monthly Akron Roundtable luncheon at Quaker Square. Previously, Akron Roundtable welcomed Michael Morell, former Deputy Directory of the CIA to talk about his new book, The Great War of Our Time. This week, the host of NPR’s Morning Edition, David Greene talked about his experiences with NPR from his time as one of the White House Correspondents to hosting Morning Edition. After speaking at the luncheon, State and Federal Communications hosted a reception in the office for Greene and WKSU.

Enjoy more photos from this great event on our Facebook.

We were excited to see Laura Brelin from United Way of Summit County this morning. Laura dropped by to present a framed “Campaign Excellence Award” to State and Federal Communications.

The awards are presented to those organizations whose employees demonstrate outstanding excellence with at least 75% participation and either $100 per capita in giving or a 35% increase over last year’s campaign. We can proudly say our company had a $724 per capita giving in 2014!

State and Federal Communications is a proud supporter of United Way of Summit County. Aside from working hard each year on our annual campaign, we have had staff participation in the Board of Directors, the Corporate Volunteer Council, Day of Action, and the Corporate Derby Challenge.

Thank you, United Way! We look forward to many years of partnership.

More than 26,000 Summit County (Ohio) residents and their families turn to the ADM (Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health) Board for treatment and support. The care runs through their lifespan: from services and programs for toddlers to older adults. ADM provides preventive and treatment services, housing support, employment assistance, transportation, respite, peer support, recreation, and education services.

How does State and Federal Communications, Inc. help ADM? We contribute annually to its ADM Recovery Challenge 5K. The campaign helps raise money for when ADM has to go to the ballot and ask the Summit County voters to vote to support the levy. The State of Ohio allows the County Board of Elections to charge the groups going on the ballots so ADM needs to raise even more money.

Why am I bringing this up? Because your county has some form of an ADM program helping those who cannot help themselves. The road to recovery is challenged by many obstacles. In recognizing the challenges of recovery, ADM provides this obstacle course for fun competition for athletes of all ages and abilities. The obstacles included in this race course metaphorically represent the challenges persons often face during the process of recovery from an addition or mental health condition.

There are always ways to help in your own community. Help those less fortunate. It is amazing how appreciative the group is towards your involvement. Until next month, make a change for yourself and for your community.

Thank you,
Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

We are excited to be a Gold Sponsor of the Public Affairs Council Spring Executive Meeting 2015 this week in Washington, D.C.!