State and Federal Communications, Inc. is home to the one-and-only News You Can Use digest and its accompanying daily newsletter, LobbyComply News Roundup. For 23 years, Jim Sedor, Manager of News Services, has been providing this award-winning news service to clients and followers.

Jim started his career by earning a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences at Edinboro University and later attending graduate school for Library Information Science at Kent State University. In 2000, Jim came across an ad in the Akron Beacon Journal to be the first Manager of News Services at State and Federal Communications, Inc. He has been here ever since.

“This job had just been created when I applied for it and got it, so I’ve been able to sort of shape how it’s done, which has been satisfying. It started out as an in-house report so we could show our seven or eight employees at the time what was going on,” Jim explained.

What began in-house evolved into daily newsletters and a weekly e-mail digest that gets sent to hundreds of recipients. Additionally, State and Federal Communications, Inc. received the Outstanding Service Award from the Council of Governmental Ethics Laws in 2020 primarily because of News You Can Use.

“We couldn’t have done this before the internet because that’s where I do all the research. Then we saw there was so much information that our clients and others would need to know or would want to know about. So it’s just grown as the company has grown,” he said.

Jim’s contributions have been invaluable to our Research and Compliance departments, as well as the Marketing and Sales teams.

“If a court decision comes up or if a governor signs a new law that we need to know about because it affects lobbying or campaign finance, I’m able to alert them, send out information, so that we keep up-to-date,  don’t miss anything, and everything is updated  in a timely manner.”

When it comes to helping our clients, Jim provides a unique and invaluable product. When he meets clients and industry experts at events like the Annual COGEL Conference, he’s able to hear from them about what issues they are seeing, problems they may be having, and solutions that are being considered.

“And after 23 years, I think that’s given me some gravitas,” he said.

Jim’s contributions don’t only provide up-to-date information and the latest news, however. Through the LobbyComply News Roundup and News You Can Use, government affairs professionals can also understand why compliance is so important.

“Big companies realize they need to know the law before they act, and that’s where State and Federal comes in, because we know the fine points of the law and we can alert them when they’re running into problems and how to avoid having their company name in a headline,” he explained.

In 2023, State and Federal Communications, Inc. was recognized as a Healthy Worksite by the Healthy Business Council of Ohio.  Our workplace’s commitment to employee wellness wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of our Human Resources department, including HR Generalist, Anastasia Drescher.

Anastasia began her career in Human Resources as a student at Cuyahoga Community College and then transferred to Youngstown State University. As a student, she interned with AVI Foodsystems in their Human Resources department for two years.

Upon returning home in 2018, Anastasia joined the State and Federal Communications, Inc. team as an HR Generalist. In her role, she handles a variety of responsibilities, including hiring, onboarding, managing benefits, and encouraging worksite wellness.

With a little more than 40 employees, Anastasia finds that a personal touch and the opportunities for one-on-one support go a long way.

“I could just walk down the hall and talk to you about benefits and answer any questions that you have, or if you have any questions, you can stop on down to see me. I found that having that, being in a smaller organization, does have its positives and that’s definitely one of them,” she explains.

While Anastasia does not work directly with clients in the HR Generalist role, her work is indispensable in supporting our staff.

“It’s all about being a support for the staff, for everyone here. And you’re making sure that the departments are set up how they need to be to be able to function to take care of our clients, so it’s all kind of a domino effect,” she explains.

The State and Federal Communications, Inc. team is full of experts you can trust. Learn more about what they can do for you at https://stateandfed.com/services/.

What are your areas of expertise?

I manage a portfolio of states, counties, and municipalities primarily located on the West Coast. Part of my experience relies on monitoring relevant legislative, regulatory, and rule-making activity and using independent judgement and discretion to determine how to incorporate the information. I also work with our clients to ensure they are aware of and adhering to any and all rules and regulations concerning lobbying, gifts to public officials, political contributions, and procurement. Client-specific research is another important task I perform routinely in order to provide the best information possible.

How long have you been with State and Federal Communications?

I have been a Manager of Research Services with State and Federal Communications, Inc. for just under two years.

How do you help our clients?

In addition to answering specific question from clients, I also assist in preparing, reviewing, and filing the lobbyist registrations and lobbyist activity reports.

What are your areas of expertise?

I work with the managers in the research department to detect any changes within my assigned jurisdictions. This often involves a great deal of thorough fact checking of the news items that we cover. Additionally, I proofread blog posts for managers as well as proofreading the Compliance Now publication that is circulated monthly.

How long have you been with State and Federal Communications?

I have been with the company for over three years.

How do you help our clients?

I manage dozens of jurisdictions nationally and internationally to confirm accuracy of session dates, reporting dates, and election cycles. Additionally, I verify contact information and am responsible for tracking, analyzing, and summarizing major legislation at the federal and state levels. All of these updates go directly to clients in the monthly Summary of Changes document.

What are your areas of expertise?

I am part of the compliance department and provide lobbying compliance guidance.

How long have you been with State and Federal Communications?

I have been with State and Federal Communications for over four years.

How do you help our clients?

I help answer state and local lobbying law questions from our clients. I also file lobbying registrations and reports for our clients.

What are your areas of expertise?

I manage a portfolio of state and local jurisdictions on our website to ensure our clients adhere to the latest rules and regulations concerning communications and gifts to public officials, political contributions, and contract procurement. I communicate with officials in my jurisdictions to ensure our understanding of new rules and regulations is accurate. Additionally, I perform client-specific research for our subscription clients and our consulting clients.

How long have you been with State and Federal Communications?

I have been with the company for almost four years.

How do you help our clients?

In addition to providing compliance solutions through our subscription services, I file lobbying activity reports on behalf of our clients and respond to Ask the Expert questions from our subscription clients.

What are your areas of expertise?

I work in the compliance department providing guidance regarding lobbying compliance.

How long have you been with State and Federal Communications?

I have been with the company for seven years.

How do you help our clients?

I help our clients navigate state and local lobbying laws. I also file their lobbying reports and registrations.

What are your areas of expertise?

Accounting, financial reporting, compliance, internal controls, budgeting and forecasting, and financial analysis.

How long have you been with State and Federal Communications?

I have been with the company for ten years.

How do you help our clients?

My role is primarily in support of our professional staff and senior leadership, providing the information and analysis needed to deliver world-class products and services to our clients.

Meet Michael Beckett, Esq., Associate Director, Research Services!

What are your areas of expertise?

I direct the Research Department and oversee website content regarding lobbying, campaign finance, ethics and gifts, procurement, and pay-to-play.

How long have you been with State and Federal Communications?

I have been with the company for 10 years.

How do you help our clients?

Overseeing the content produced by the Research team allows me to provide high-level consulting on compliance-related matters for subscribers and clients. My experience allows me to provide in-depth analysis based on over a decade of keeping up with the latest developments in corporate compliance.

Meet Amber Fish Linke, Esq., Director, Client and Product Operations!

What are your areas of expertise?

I lead the Compliance and Research departments’ daily operations to meet our consulting and publication clients’ needs regarding lobbying, campaign finance, ethics and gifts, procurement, and pay-to-play.

How long have you been with State and Federal Communications?

I have been with the company for 17 years.

How do you help our clients?

In addition to overseeing the Compliance and Research team, I address and resolve high-level compliance-related matters for our clients.  We work hard to stay ahead of the curve with new trends.  Our attention to detail and superior client service set us apart.

Meet George Ticoras, Esq., Manager, International Research Services!

What are your areas of expertise?

The daily focus of my work is covering the lobbying landscape throughout Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the rest of the world.

How many years of experience do you have in compliance research?

I have been with the company for over 11 years.

What do you do that helps our clients everyday?

I help our clients understand various international lobbying laws. Rules concerning lobbying are different in every country. Each of the various laws, regulations, and policies can be overwhelming for a client. I collect and synthesize this information, track and stay updated with any changes, and turn it into something comprehensible our clients can understand, use, and apply in pursuit of their objectives.