Pioneering Days in Public Affairs - The Herald Group’s Beginnings
By: Taylor Gross, Founding Partner
As we celebrate The Herald Group’s 20th anniversary, we have been reflecting on how we got here. Just two decades ago, the scrum of politics and policymaking inside the Beltway was very different. For the most part, companies and organizations that wanted to win legislative and regulatory battles relied on two approaches—old school shoe-leather lobbying and traditional public relations. Doug McGinn, Matt Well, and I—each working in different realms—had a vision for a new approach.
One afternoon in 2005, we met at the cafe in the downtown Marriott and discussed our approach to serve as a one-stop shop for issue campaign strategy development and execution. We would bring our backgrounds and tactics from the campaign trail to legislative and regulatory battles. We wouldn’t just place stories or propose new legislative language; we would advance our clients’ issues by winning critical hearts and minds—of stakeholders, constituents, allies, third parties, regulators, and legislators. We shook on it right there and went into business together.
Finding the Right Name
As most people who start a business know, finding the right name can be a challenge. We each proposed ideas including Oread Strategies—a nod to Mount Oread, a landmark in Kansas, Matt’s home state, Pillar Strategies—to reflect government architectural strength, and Revere Strategies—a reference to Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere and his role as a communicator who mobilized supporters.
The sentiment behind Revere and Pillar eventually led us to Herald—an official messenger who brings information to government leaders. We also knew that our new company would stand out by delivering more than strategies. Our firm would provide the tactical capabilities—media outreach, coalition building, field organizing, and more—to execute on strategies. With this vision in mind, we launched “The Herald Group.”
Blood, Sweat, and Skills
We have succeeded and grown over 20 years on the strength of our people and their diverse knowledge, experience, and skills. When we began, Doug, Matt, and I each brought complementary capabilities and networks to the firm.
I had worked as a spokesman in the White House during the Bush Administration, where I’d developed extensive media contacts. I also had deep campaign experience, serving in a range of positions for presidential and senate races.
Doug had worked on the Hill and for a large PR agency. He knew firsthand how stakeholders—and which stakeholders—could make an impact on policymakers. He also brought experience in client services and agency management to our team.
Matt had campaign, Hill, and association experience. He had also helmed public affairs at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which gave him a deep understanding of regulatory operations and financial services.
For the first several months, we reached out to contacts near and far, often drawing on an old stalwart DC resource—the Yellow Book—a directory of Beltway professionals that no longer exists in book form. We signed our first client, the American Tort Reform Association, and they’re still with us today.
It was an exciting time. We worked around the clock, didn’t take paychecks, and won early business with our ideas and strategies, though we had plenty of swings and misses. Energy and optimism were also essential for successfully executing on our strategies and meeting the goals of clients’ public affairs campaigns. This positive spirit continues to propel our firm today.
Building Bipartisan Strength
From the outset, we knew we would be a stronger firm by engaging with stakeholders and organizations from across the political spectrum. Our campaigns would succeed by bringing unlikely allies together, showing different perspectives, and building support on both sides of the aisle.
As we grew, we continually underscored the importance of bipartisanship. We have always sought great team members with both Democratic and Republican backgrounds. Our first employee, Teresa Schofield, had deep Democratic ties, having worked in the Clinton White House and for a Democratic Senator. Our approach continues to be bipartisan to this day. One of our newest partners, Marc Brumer, brings a wealth of Democratic campaign and Hill experience to the firm.
Developing Our “Outside-In” Strategy
Today, The Herald Group provides every component of a robust public affairs campaign, apart from direct lobbying. In the early days, we found that our clients often had shoe-leather lobbyists at the ready but couldn’t provide advocacy muscle to back them.
That’s where our team makes a difference. We gather in-district intelligence; identify, recruit, and mobilize grassroots, grasstops, and influencer voices; earn local media; organize stakeholders from “outside” traditional DC circles, and amplify it, all to demonstrate potential opportunities or consequences around an issue to the right decision makers.
Sometimes just the right intelligence and just the right supporter can turn the tide. One early example stands out. A client seeking to establish a regulatory framework for internet gambling expected pivotal support from a Blue Dog Democrat, but the lawmaker abruptly decided he would take a pass on the vote. Our client’s lobbyist couldn’t determine why—and couldn’t move the Congressman.
Through our state network, The Herald Group identified an allied state legislator who used his close ties to learn that the Congressman was concerned about predatory advertising that targeted problem gamblers. Our client then worked with the Congressman to find a solution: an amendment addressing predatory advertising. The Congressman won his amendment and supported the policy—and the legislation passed.
Over the past 20 years, we’ve demonstrated that our approach can be successful on campaigns of any size. We’ve helped win federal reforms and turned back harmful proposals at the city level. Our messaging—carried by influential messengers and everyday Americans alike—has been echoed by leaders at all levels of government. We’ve seen our ads debated on the House floor. We even saw one U.S. President announce his policy position using our messaging, word for word.
New Capabilities, New Opportunities, and the Same Fundamentals
When we launched the firm, we saw a need—and an opportunity—to bring all the pieces of advocacy together under one roof. That early vision helped us find success, but we’ve never been ones to sit still. What moves the needle has evolved, and so have we. We've built out a full-scale digital department to meet the moment, expanded into corporate communications, and now support clients through major events like mergers and acquisitions.
We’ve also built an exceptional strategic alliances team that maintains strong connections with a wide range of third-party organizations—and we work to bring our clients and these organizations together around shared concerns. Our alliance with Advocus Partners enables us to bring a range of additional capabilities to our clients. We’re growing because the challenges our clients face are growing too—and we’re committed to staying ahead of them.
While The Herald Group will always explore emerging technologies to strengthen our operations, we will continue to employ our fundamental, time-tested approach that consistently delivers winning results for our clients. Even after two decades, we’re still a fast-moving, maverick firm that’s determined to lead the way in public affairs. I have every confidence that The Herald Group will thrive for the next 20 years and beyond.