Community Open House — More like Community Welcoming Us

The housewarming is always hard to plan. Do we have everything in place? Are we ready to welcome the neighborhood?

March 25th was our community open house — five months after we officially moved into our new space. It took time to spread our 17,000 square feet of office materials into 29,000 square feet. We are probably the only company not downsizing in Akron, Ohio. We were busy until the last minute, putting artwork up on the walls, rearranging chairs around the place, and bringing out our red/white/blue tablecloths!!!

And, you know what… the community showed up! Between 2 pm and 7 pm, we had 200 people in our offices enjoying our delicious food from Waterloo Restaurant, taking tours of the office, looking at our great artwork, and just conversing with the staff.

It was a great time. After it was over, I received a text from Bill Considine, former president of Akron Children’s Hospital, and the most respected man in Akron.

“Congratulations on your open house and 30-year celebration!! Becky and I thoroughly enjoyed touring your new space, talking with members of your team, and joining people and friends from the community that joined in the celebration. You can take great pride in the organization you’ve developed.

~Onward. Bill C”

Now that is a big deal. Along with the fabulous proclamation received from Dr. Todd Diacon, president of Kent State University. FLASHES FOREVER.

The important part about the open house is everyone enjoyed themselves, ate plenty of food, and left with a swing in their step.

Thank you to everyone who has helped move us over the mountain and have faith in the work we do for your company.

I might not be so quick to decline office parties in the future. It is a great way to meet your neighbors.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

Recently I promoted Amber Fish Linke from a Director position to Vice President. She earned the promotion.

Amber joined State and Federal Communications in March 2005 as one of our research associates. She took some time off that summer to take the Ohio Bar Exam, which she passed. Amber was part of our initial compliance associate team, where she joined two other staff members to spend all their time working with our compliance program.

She had worked in both departments, and it made sense to have her oversee both as Director and we were able to promote both John Cozine and Michael Beckett to oversee compliance and research, respectively.

Amber and I meet frequently to talk about business, especially our consulting program ALERTS. In 2023, while I was knee high in our move from 17,000 to 29,000 sq feet, I knew I had to promote Amber to Vice President to really help me with promoting our consulting program to our current subscribers who still need additional assistance, work with compliance and research departments to insure we have the staff on hand for the work, and to get involved in our community to develop leaders at the company.

I am not fast when making decisions, because I want to make sure I have everything in place. I was able to take the time in December and worked with Amber to develop a great job description for the position.

Voila! I have a new Vice President whom I know will be able to help speak with potential clients about consulting services and help develop our future leaders.

Stay tuned … We have a lot to do and will continue to be your #1 compliance company.

Thank you

EB

@elizabethbartz

When I decided to write about upcoming elections in 2024, the song from Band-Aid (1984) came to my mind, with my own words.

It’s Election time, there’s no need to be afraid

At Election time, we let in light, and we banish shade

According to my friend, ChatGPT, 32% of registered voters cast a ballot for US President in 2020, which was more than 2016. Okay, I checked it with a more solid source, the US Census Bureau and the numbers were about the same. There is more to know, and I personally resemble some of these points.

• Those 45 to 64.
• Those 65 and older.
• The non-Hispanic White population.
• Those with some college or an associate degree.
• Those with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

The highlight from a report from the US Census Bureau is the main reason registered nonvoters did not vote is they were not interested in the election. Those who are not even registered to vote cite the reason is they are not involved in politics.

And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy

Throw your arms around the world at Election time

But say a prayer, Pray for the other ones

At Election time it’s hard, but when you’re having fun

Why does this concern me? We spend our whole year updating our website with election dates from the federal government, every state government, and municipalities. My blogs about Who Is Voting in America is a top post.

My New Year’s Resolution—other than losing weight and taking better care of myself—is to meet with all the college students I run into and give them one of our Keep US Strong buttons. It is important they realize the future depends on them to VOTE and to be involved.

In the two state representative districts in Akron and Kent, we have two young men running in 2024. It is their first run for office, and I hope they can speak to their contemporaries about registering and voting.

Let them know it’s Election time again.

On behalf of my staff at State and Federal Communications, we wish you a Happy New Year.

Our 2024 calendar is packed. We look forward to seeing you next year.

Do you want to stay up to date with the latest news at State and Federal Communications, inc.? Sign up for the newsletter here or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or X.

People talk about Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR as we refer to it at State and Federal Communications. But is it a line item in your company’s business plan and budget or just something on your TO-DO list, transferred from one week to the next?

In 2017, we had the opportunity to bring Joe May back from a brief hiatus to head up our CSR department. We have always been incredibly involved in our community, industry, and with our clients but it was not organized. Joe keeps track of everything we are involved in and has a boatload of examples to share in our CSR annual report.

The 2022 Annual Report is in production and will be available soon on our website—www.stateandfed.com.

We always hear a successful CSR program begins at the top…and at State and Federal Communications, which is me. As time and travel permit, you will see me with the team at Read to Me Day from the United Way of Summit and Medina; I order Girl Scout cookies from every scout who asks; and we have provided time off for these activities during the regular
day of business.

Check out the past and current reports on our website, www.stateandfed.com. You will see the staff out and about at Day of Action events; food distribution held monthly; and even working the polls on Election Day.

CSR is part of our culture. CSR is what we do to help others less fortunate. Our CSR programs are recognized by other businesses, our local county government, and definitely by the groups we support.

Start your CSR program today. It truly is a wonderful way to give back, extend a hand up to help others.

Until next month, how will you help your community in the next 31 days. Share your story with us. I am going to chair the United Way campaign in our community and will
have lots of examples of giving back and helping others.

Every year around this time, I not only look forward to the coming of Spring and to another birthday, but I also look forward to honoring the outstanding achievements and contributions made by women both past and present!

Women’s History Month (designated as such in 1987 when Congress passed Public Law 100-9) is also a great time to reach out to (and re-connect with) the women in your network, and to let them know how absolutely fantastic they are! Let these great women know that they are truly special, and that there is nothing they cannot accomplish – especially when they have other great women (and men!) guiding, supporting, mentoring and high-fiving them along the way!

During this month, I also encourage you to support the organizations that help to support the amazing women in your circle!  Join these organizations and provide not only your financial resources but also your time – a number of these organizations are volunteer-lead, and are always looking for ways for members and supporters to get involved!

It is said that Spring is a time for new beginnings… Begin today by committing to lifting up women, being an ally and serving as a resource – and don’t forget – their story is your story is our story – we’re in this together!

We rarely send surveys to our clients. There are so many times people send suggestions that I just do not think about it.

In 2022, we did send out a survey to all our subscription clients. These are the people who use stateandfed.com the most. It was a simple five question survey, and all responders received a $10 Starbucks gift card.

We were impressed 95% of the responders indicated they were expert in using their computer to do research and only a few responders found the site a little difficult to use.

What we were able to find out is many of you want SUBTOPICS. I do, too!

I find it difficult to open Registration in a jurisdiction and scroll to the end to find the research for fees and filing terminations.

It doesn’t have to be that way anymore!!!!!!!! (I now feel like I am in a Ronco commercial!)

You will now find SUBTOPICS for Registration and Reports Required. This means you can quickly go to the info you want.

• Is Registration Required
• Local Lobbying
• Who Must Register
• What Information Must be Included?
• When is Registration Required
• Registration Threshold
• Term of Registration
• Is Special Authorization Needed From Employer
• With Whom Does the Lobbyist Register
• Amount of Fee
• Required Training
• Additional Requirements
• Electronic Registration
• Amendments
• Registration Termination

Check it out! It will save a lot of time when you know what you need to find.

Still need assistance on how this new feature works. Our Client Relations Coordinator Anthony Didion is happy to give you a quick tour. You can contact him at adidion@stateandfed.com or
call him at 330-761-9960.

Thank you for bringing up such a great suggestion. And don’t wait until we send a survey.
Feel free to contact us with your suggestions.

Are you a member of the Public Affairs Council? I joined the PAC’s Membership Committee, headed up by Greg Crist from AdvaMed and, in all honesty, was shocked at the companies who are not members.

Consider this column your invitation to join.

As a busy public affairs executive, you have a lot to manage – issues, priorities, expectations, staff – while remaining abreast of political and economic trends which affect your business.  The Public Affairs Council is always there to help by providing the education, expertise, and a professional community you and your colleagues need to meet your goals. Though its diverse membership of more than 700 companies, associations, advocacy organizations, and consulting firms do not always agree on the issues, they are united by a desire for ideas that work.  They help them achieve success through:

• Free, individualized counsel and advice. Need help with strategic planning, measuring the impact of your work, engaging your CEO, or getting a new hire up to speed?  The staff experts in Washington and Brussels can answer these questions and more.
• Research and information sharing. Want to know how your program stacks up against your competitors?  Looking for data to help you justify additional staff or budget?  Curious to see how other companies structure their departments?  It has hundreds of resources, including benchmarking and trend studies, and sample materials from org charts to social media policies.
• More than 100 training events each year (have you seen our company calendar?)– from multi-day conferences to concise and focused teleconferences – on a variety of topics and for everyone from entry-level to seasoned veterans.  Members receive discounted or free registration to all Council events, plus all policy issue and best practice webinars are included with the membership.
• Connections to more than 10,000 individual members who understand your challenges and share your drive for results.

Yes, there are others, but only the Public Affairs Council offers expertise in lobbying, corporate social responsibility, issues management in addition to PACs, international markets, digital advocacy, corporate communications, and everything in between.  One annual membership fee gives you – and every employee of your company – access to a host of valuable benefits.

Simply put, the Council offers an excellent return on your investment. You can learn more on the Council’s website, at www.pac.org.

Connect with Doug Pinkham, dpinkham@pac.org, and he will give you more specifics on the benefits of membership…and pick up the cost of a cup of coffee.

The Public Affairs Council was the first association I was introduced to when I joined State and Federal Associates in 1983 and the first association I joined when I bought my department and started State and Federal Communications almost 30 years ago. I never think about whether it is worth it…because it always is!

Happy New Year!

Here we are now in 2023, and one of the many things that I want to continue to focus on is building connections!

One of the things that I love about working at State and Federal Communications is the multitude of opportunities that I get to meet and interact with our clients!  Not only do I get to assist them with their lobbying compliance needs, but I also get a chance to see them oftentimes at various conferences and events – great ways to continue to get to know them and develop relationships!  It’s awesome when I finally get to meet our clients in person (“putting faces to names”) — the familiarity of the interactions begins to stick, and (hopefully) a camaraderie will begin to grow over the course of time…

I believe the same can also be said for just meeting people in general!  I attend a good number of conferences and events throughout the year, and my goal for 2023 will be to make at least one (hopefully more!) connection [particularly with someone who does not look like me] everywhere I show up!  This isn’t always the “comfortable” thing to do putting yourself out there, but the personal rewards obtained from developing meaningful connections far outweigh the fight for me to try and stay in my comfort zone!

What’s your goals for 2023? Hopefully, they too will include making greater connections and forging stronger bonds! I will be sure to check in and let you know how it’s going!

Meet Joe May, Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility at State and Federal Communications!

What are your areas of expertise?

I manage State and Federal Communications’ corporate social responsibility programs. This company is a true leader in corporate philanthropy and community engagement.

How long have you been at State and Federal Communications?

I have been with the company for 15 years.

How do you help our clients?

It is important for our clients to know about our commitment to the greater community. I showcase our CSR efforts through digital media posts, videos, and especially in our CSR Annual Report, which anyone can find on our website.

I am always looking for great folks to add to our State and Federal Communications community. I recently was aware that Joe Wasser was looking for a new opportunity. Joe has more than 24 years of business development experience in the government relations and PAC industry. So I picked up the phone and called him.

Joe joined State and Federal Communications, Inc. in October as our new Senior Account Manager. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise in government relations and building relationships. I am thrilled he is on our team.

Prior to joining State and Federal Communications, Joe was one of the first employees of Capitol Hill Software which became Vocus before it was acquired by Cision. Joe was one of the most instrumental people in building the Vocus client base starting in 1997.

“I’m excited to work with my longtime friend Elizabeth and the team at State and Federal Communications,” said Wasser. “I know we can build upon the great work that has already been done and help the company grow.”

Joe will explore business development and new growth opportunities for State and Federal Communications including market assessment, and new and emerging industry potential.
When Joe started with Capitol Hill Software and Vocus, the products were sold as physical diskettes that were sent to clients. Similarly, State and Federal Communications sent out binders and guidebooks to clients and would regularly supplement them with additional pages.

While State and Federal Communications was modernizing the process of making compliance web-based, Joe and the Vocus teamwere doing the same thing to create one of the most widely used web-based filing tools for federal PACs. His experience adds great value to State and Federal Communications.

A life-long Maryland Terrapin, Joe is a big fan of Washington D.C. sports particularly the Washington Nationals. However, after getting a taste of a winning culture in the Cleveland Guardians, he has adopted the Guardians as a fan too.

Joe and his wife Suzanne live on the eastern shore of Maryland. They have two adult children and are delighted to be welcoming their first grandchild in January 2023.

If Joe knows you, he will be in contact with you. He is as much an extrovert as me and I already know he will be a great addition.

On behalf of the State and Federal Communications Family, we wish you and yours Happy Holidays and look forward to a busy 2023 in the states, federal government, municipalities, and international countries.

Meet Adrienne Borgstahl, Esq., Manager, Compliance Services at State and Federal Communications!

What are your areas of expertise?

I am a Manager of Compliance Services in our compliance department. I specialize in providing guidance regarding ethics and lobbying laws.

How many years of experience do you have at State and Federal Communications?

I have been with the company for 6 and a half years.

What is it that you do to help our clients?

I always answer questions promptly and try to present our clients with the big picture. When I provide our clients with all the necessary information, they can rest easy!

During this upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday, many family members and friends will gather around a dinner table, and right before they dig in for a scrumptious meal, they will profess at least one person, place, thing, and/or idea for which they are grateful. I ask, however, why we should wait for a particular time of the year to show (and acknowledge) gratitude?

I would argue that in an ideal world, gratitude would be just a routine part of everyone’s daily existence; no hidden agendas, just opportunities to recognize the life influences that support and challenge us, and that remind us that there is a greater good that exists when we take the time to stop and reflect!  I would like to take the time now to proclaim that I am grateful for the following:  my family and friends whom are treasured near and far; my employer and industry colleagues whom continue to inspire me every day; the clients, whom continue to trust us with their Federal, State, and International compliance needs; and for the many opportunities and life lessons that have come my way over the past 52 years – some were welcomed; others I raised an eyebrow to, but overall, each of these have made me the person I am today, and so for all of these, I am grateful!

I invite you to take a moment each day to acknowledge the persons, places, things, and ideas for which you are grateful — and, while you’re at it, take the time to also show some gratitude to others! It’ll bring a smile to your face (and hey, who doesn’t love a good smile?).

It was bound to end sooner or later … All those Zoom conferences ending and people meeting again in person. We already have 55 meetings on the calendar for 2023. 55 and if you do the math there are a few which will overlap.

The best part is I have a great staff to help attend these programs. This was particularly important because I was truly planning to fly between Women in Government in Orlando and National Association of Business PAC at The Breakers the very same week in November. That changed immediately when we brought on Joe Wasser, formerly with Cision, and he was a regular at the NABPAC conference. So, I will miss the beautiful Breakers but I will not have to fly back and forth, which really sounded ridiculous.

People ask why I travel so much. It is easy. More than half of my life is in Akron, Ohio and I can count on one hand the number of clients we have in this city. The choices were to either step up to the plate and attend the conferences with clients—and prospective clients—attending; or get a kiosk at Washington National Airport (DCA) and just live there.

Back to 2023, our schedule of conferences and events is updated on our website. Many folks ask us about specific conferences and those of us who attend are knowledgeable as to how working with stakeholders is important for the work we do at State and Federal Communications, Inc.

So, watch out 2023, I still do not pack efficiently, but I am always available and ready to see you out and about…Along with many of my team members.

On behalf of State and Federal Communications, we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and look forward to connecting with you in December.

Q: I am a registered lobbyist in Illinois and want to take an Illinois official out to dinner in order to garner goodwill.  What do I need to know to ensure we are compliant?

A: In Illinois, lobbyists reports must itemize for each individual expenditure or transaction, including any expenditures made by a consultant in performing services for the lobbying entity. The report must include the name of the official for whose benefit each expenditure was made, the name of the client the expenditure was made on behalf of, the total amount of the expenditure, a description of the expenditure, the vendor to whom the expenditure was made, the date of the expenditure, and the subject matter of the lobbying activity, if any.

Lobby or lobbying is to communicate, including the soliciting of others to communicate with an official of the executive or legislative branch of state or local government for the ultimate purpose of influencing executive, legislative, or administrative action at the state, municipal, county, or township government level. In Illinois, influencing includes promoting goodwill. Additionally with the passage of Senate Bill 539 in 2021, lobbying on a local level, except in Chicago, requires registration and reporting with the state.

In order to comply with Illinois lobbying law, the dinner would need to be reported on the appropriate entity report. There are two notification requirements a lobbyist must make to an official. First, the official must be informed, in writing, at the time the expenditure is received by the official, that the expenditure is reportable, and the official will appear in the expenditure report. Second, within 30 days after a reporting deadline, a lobbyist must notify each official on whose behalf an expenditure was reported. The 30-day notification must include the name of the registered lobbyist, a description, the total amount, the date, and subject matter of the expenditure. Please note there is a $75 per person limit on meals. Additionally, because Illinois does not have a time or expenditure registration threshold, any other individuals attempting to influence the official will need to register as a lobbyist.

For more information, check out the “Reports Required” section of the Lobbying Compliance Laws online publication for Illinois.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.