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Client Spotlight: Sheehy Strategy Group

David · Jan 18, 2021 ·

Having opened its doors in late 2018, Sheehy Strategy Group (SSG) still has that new-car smell. Founded by fiscal expert and public policy guru Tom Sheehy, this full-service government relations firm is truly a high-mileage machine.

Tom Sheehy, Founder,
Sheehy Strategy Group

Tom’s resume includes service in both the executive and legislative branches of California government, as well as state agencies. He spent 10 years as a principal consultant to both the California Senate and Assembly. As Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Finance, Tom helped shape and manage the state’s $150 billion budget for more than one Governor. He also served on some of the most influential Boards and Commissions within the Capitol’s eight-block radius and has an extensive network of relationships in both the public and private sectors.

When did you know you wanted a career in the public sector?

After I got out of graduate school, I was hired by the California Department of Finance as a staff analyst. When I walked in the door, they handed me a $5 billion budget assignment with the California Department of Transportation. I was responsible for all its capital outlay, local assistance, and support budget, which included all the operating expenses for 20,000 engineers, administrators, and maintenance workers. It was a huge responsibility to have and is one of the great things about being at DOF; they really give you a lot of responsibility right from the get-go.

However, I really knew that I wanted a career in public policy a few years later when I got my first job in the Legislature. I started in the Assembly in the Appropriations Committee and really got the bug for the legislative process, fiscal analysis and California politics as a whole.

What inspired you to launch Sheehy Strategy Group?

I was working as the Senior Government Affairs Director for Greenberg Traurig, which was a great place to work, even for a non-lawyer like me. It got to the point, however, where it no longer made sense to be a non-lawyer lobbyist in a big law firm. There were client acceptance restrictions due to conflicts and marketing limitations as the firm’s focus was on law practice and not lobbying. I knew I could be more effective on my own, out from under the weight of those constraints. I was confident that, if I had the ability to market SSG the way I saw fit, new doors would open for me, and they have!

You recently brought on some new staff. How has that expanded what SSG can do for its clients?

My wife and associate Brena Sheehy joined the practice with a strong background in property and casualty insurance, as well as the healthcare field. She is an incredibly good analyst and has great people skills, so it was a natural for her to join the practice as we started to grow. Brena had been an advisor to me since the very inception of the practice and joined it formally in 2020.

My strategic partner for procurement engagements, Eric Mandell, retired from state service in 2018 where he had made a career as an expert in the state’s procurement laws, regulations and practices. He was the Chief Procurement Officer at the California Department of General Services where he oversaw $10 billion in annual state contracts with a myriad of vendors.

Previously, Eric was the Chief of California’s Office of Small and Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (DVBE) Services. He also served as the Acting Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Small Business and DVBE Advocate. Eric’s ability to help clients sell more products and contract with the state is unparalleled in Sacramento. This is one of the ways that Sheehy Strategy Group has an advantage over other firms.

Marketing a boutique firm in such a competitive space must be challenging, particularly during a pandemic. What tools has SSG utilized to get its message to prospective clients?

I have developed a very deep and broad contact network over my 20+ years of working at the State Capitol, both on the inside of government and on the outside as a lobbyist. With that contact network, I’ve been able develop direct email marketing campaigns that have proven to be effective. I also utilize major social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where I provide original content and strategically use paid advertising. In the last year we’ve also contracted with Duran Kinst Strategies (whom I would highly recommend) to utilize their digital marketing and communications expertise to fine tune our message and the way it’s delivered.

I do not want to give away all my secrets, but I’m a strong proponent of having a good website. For example, if you check out the “News” section of the Sheehy Strategy Group website, you will find a long list of articles and videos posted, covering a variety of subjects. Those blog entries are topical and include important issues in California public policy that the Legislature is debating regularly at the State Capitol.

Despite operating during a global pandemic, your firm recorded some solid wins in 2020 for your clients. What were a few of your biggest accomplishments?

The Language Access Professionals Association (LAPA) asked us to help them get a few amendments into the labor code to address employee classification issues as a result of Assembly Bill 5, which passed in 2019. Although this is a very controversial issue and COVID-19 greatly limited the ability to communicate with members and their staff, Sheehy Strategy Group was able to get five or six key amendments into clean up legislation and solve our client’s problems, allowing LAPA to continue operating successfully in California.

We were also able to support the California Landscape Contractors Association by lobbying to stop some labor laws and related regulations that would have negatively impacted landscapers in California. We also worked through regulatory agencies (rather than legislation) to help a manufacturing client resolve issues with technical building standards, which affected their ability to sell their product in the state.

What sets SSG apart from larger public affairs firms in the Sacramento area?

What I try to impress upon a potential client is that big firms cannot compete with the level of engagement and individual attention that a boutique firm like Sheehy Strategy Group can provide. Potential clients sometimes think there is some “special sauce” they get when they hire a “big firm.” If you need to have a law firm that can also lobby, it makes sense to hire a large law firm; but if not, the size of the firm alone does not dictate the efficacy of its efforts. A client’s success all depends on who is handling the critical matters that they care about, and what the lead lobbyist brings to the table. Big firms have big overhead, and they charge big prices. At the end of the day, you may get much better service at a lower cost from a boutique firm like Sheehy Strategy Group as compared to hiring one of the “big” firms in Sacramento.

In addition, having worked in, with, and through all levels of government, Sheehy Strategy Group’s interdisciplinary experience gives us a leg up on the competition. Some lobbyists rely solely on getting legislators to introduce bills in order to solve their client’s problems. Our breadth of experience allows us to consider other channels that may be more effective, such as working with an administrative agency, avoiding further legislation or regulation altogether. We have a plethora of tools in our toolbox and know how to use them, enabling us to deliver winning results to our clients.

Thanks, Tom, for taking time to share about your experience and the important advocacy work the Sheehy Strategy Group can do on behalf of its clients.

Want to learn more? To connect with Tom Sheehy or SSG, visit sheehystrategygroup.com.

Client Spotlight: California Special Districts Association

David · Dec 7, 2020 ·

We love all our clients equally, but this month, we’d like to introduce you to one of our favorites! Kyle Packham is the Advocacy and Public Affairs Director for the California Special Districts Association (CSDA).

Kyle Packham, Advocacy and Public Affairs Director, CSDA

CSDA is a nonprofit, member-based organization that provides advocacy support for more than 2,000 special districts in California. Kyle has worked in the public sector for his entire career, from his first job driving a truck for the Eastern Municipal Water District to his work at the Capitol and, finally, to the last ten years he’s spent with CSDA.

Kyle took a few minutes to chat with us about Districts Make the Difference (DMTD), an outreach campaign designed to engage with and educate communities about the essential services that special districts provide.

Why is educating the public about special districts important?

Most people know and love their local special districts, they just don’t know they are a special district. They may think their recreation and park district is just a city parks department or that their water or utility district is a private company like PG&E. Our lack of substantive civics education doesn’t help much, which is why CSDA has supported implementation of the State Civic Seal for high school diplomas. As the most local form of democracy, special districts can be the most responsive and accessible form of government. Local governments affect our daily lives far more than the federal or even state government, yet we spend way more time worrying about a federal government that the average person has very little influence over. It does not take millions of dollars to be elected to a special district board, and if you show up to a special district board meeting to speak, you will be heard. That’s not always the case elsewhere.

Why launch the DMTD brand instead of an education effort directly from CSDA?

The goal of the Districts Make the Difference public outreach campaign was to focus on communities and the people who serve those communities. CSDA is a member-driven non-profit trade association. We didn’t want it to be about us, because it shouldn’t be about us. It’s about the families and businesses that depend on special districts, and the local service specialists that work hard to provide safe water, reliable electricity, beautiful parks, and so much more 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

How has social media played a role in DMTD’s public education/engagement strategy?

It’s fundamental to the strategy and the primary reason is affordability. It is simply impossible to reach 40 million Californians on our budget using traditional marketing strategies. Our goal from the beginning has been to develop the platform and the underlying messages and tools that California’s 2,000 independent special districts can leverage to increase public awareness and understanding in the communities they serve. The only way our public outreach campaign will ever succeed is if we earn the buy-in from our membership to join in this effort. Social media allows both CSDA and our members to communicate directly with the public, something that is impossible or cost-prohibitive using most other mediums.

How have advocacy and public education efforts changed/been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?

Naturally, everything has gone virtual and so have we. One example of how we have leaned into the situation is with our annual student video contest that awards $3,500 in scholarships to high school and college students. This year, we upped the prize to include a $500 cash award for each winner’s teacher to help with all of the distance learning technology and other challenges our teachers are facing this year. We think it was a good way to bring more attention to the contest and provide some recognition to the teachers we all value.

How has this year’s outreach effort compared to that of years past?

The biggest difference has been the partnership between our association and our members. Our public affairs field coordinators are the eyes and ears of our team and have built tremendous relationships with our members. They are constantly feeding interesting, powerful content into our program and, through some improved social media tactics implemented as part of our new contract with Duran Kinst Strategies (DKS), this year we’ve leveraged that content like never before. DKS has been flexible, easy to work with, and happy to go the extra mile when needed, taking the implementation of our Districts Make the Difference social media platforms off our hands and elevating the campaign’s success in terms of every metric of exposure and engagement.

Thanks, Kyle, for the kind words and for taking the time to share about the important advocacy work CSDA does on behalf of special districts.

Did you read something interesting you can’t wait to learn more about? For further information about CSDA or to connect with Kyle Packham, visit csda.net.

Partner Profile: Lynne Kinst

David · Sep 2, 2020 ·

It’s no secret that Duran Kinst Strategies loves to partner with small businesses. As a small business ourselves, we understand the unique challenges that arise when big ideas collide with limited resources, as well as how to surmount those obstacles to successfully compete in a crowded marketplace.

We also love nonprofit organizations. In fact, you could say they’re in our DNA.

Our business partner Lynne Kinst has been drawn to public policy ever since her college days at the University of California, Davis; however, her passion for people and families who are living with hemophilia goes back even further and connects with her earliest childhood memories.

Lynne’s father, Jim Carey, was born in 1940 as the youngest of three brothers, all of whom were born with hemophilia B, a hereditary bleeding disorder caused by a lack of blood clotting factor IX. At the time of his diagnosis, the difference between hemophilia A (a lack of blood clotting factor VIII) and hemophilia B had not yet been discovered, so Jim was treated with whole blood or plasma transfusions when he had bleeds. Finally, in the 1950s, the two types of hemophilia were identified, and replacement therapy became the new course of action, which extracts specific clotting factors from hundreds or thousands of donated blood samples to meet the needs of each patient.

As a child, Lynne and her family saw her father’s weekly infusions (or more, if he already had a bleed) as the normal way of life. When she was still young, Jim helped found a local chapter called the Central California Hemophilia Foundation (CCHF), an organization whose support continuously bolstered the Carey family, even after Jim’s passing at the age of 54. At the time, Lynne was a sophomore at UC Davis, pursuing a degree in political science.

“When I graduated from college, I went to work at the Capitol,” Lynne said, “but I always had the desire to give back to the community that had supported my family so much for so many years.”

After reaching out to a lobbyist for the Hemophilia Council of California (HCC) and being encouraged to go back to her roots, Lynne reconnected with CCHF and volunteered much of her free time to support their advocacy efforts.

When CCHF garnered the resources in 2017 to hire full-time staff, Lynne immediately applied. She served as the foundation’s executive director until December of last year, when she accepted the executive director position at HCC.

“I loved working with the local chapter,” Lynne said, “but the opportunity at HCC was the perfect mix of still serving families living with hemophilia and working in the public policy arena to positively affect real change.”

Although her position at HCC was showroom-new when the COVID-19 pandemic sent everyone home, she says the organization is still at work and adapting quickly to continue empowering communities to advocate for access to treatment for all patients. In some cases, she says, the pandemic has provided new opportunities for some of their programs, including their Future Leaders Program, which enables 14- to 22-year-olds to meet with legislators during the annual, two-day Legislator Days event hosted at the Capitol.

After making the event virtual this year, Lynne and the HCC staff are considering how to integrate digital components to make the program even more beneficial for its participants moving forward.

“Everyone’s comfort level with meeting online has changed drastically,” she said, “Everyone has had to adapt quickly to the current climate. Utilizing digital resources could help us extend the Future Leaders Program beyond two days, enabling students to establish rapport with legislators before that in-person component, and maintaining that relationship well after.”

Lynne’s fervor for advocacy is both admirable and contagious. She takes her calling to fight on behalf of this community seriously, and so does the rest of the DKS team. We understand that limited resources shouldn’t mean limited impact–that the work of nonprofits is vital to the daily lives of so many.

Besides her passion for bleeding disorders, Lynne is also guided by her faith and commitment to her family. She and her husband, David, and their children, Zach and Ashley, live in Rocklin where they are active in their children’s school and sports communities and Bayside Church Blue Oaks Campus.

We are honored to work alongside Lynne and support the important work that she and the HCC team are doing. For more information about how HCC advocates for those living with bleeding disorders, visit hemophiliaca.org.

How Do I Organize a Productive Zoom Meeting or Webinar?

Sherman · Jul 14, 2020 ·

The DKS bots have a productive business meeting.

Hiya everyone! I’m Sherman the robot and today I’ll be answering the question: “How do I organize a productive Zoom meeting or webinar?”

A very timely question! With everyone being stuck at home, this video conferencing software has been in constant use.

To start off, let me explain the difference between a Zoom meeting and a Zoom webinar.

Zoom meetings are more common and allow participants to interact freely (unless you choose to mute them).

Zoom webinars are more similar to large conferences or events with speakers, and the attendees usually do not interact as much.

Another important thing to know about before you get started is security.

For example, beware the danger of Zoom-bombing. Zoom-bombers are intruders who get a hold of Zoom meeting info and disrupt it by harassing the host, sharing inappropriate images, etc.

You can prevent this issue by being careful with your link. Don’t post the link on social media where anyone can get it. Requiring a password for the Zoom meeting is also a good tactic. If you do find yourself faced with a Zoom-bomber in your meeting, click “Participants,” then “More,” and, finally, “Remove” for the attendee you want to give the boot.

You may also want to consider an alternative video conferencing software. Recently, Zoom acknowledged suspending a few accounts at China’s request. You can find alternatives to Zoom here.

But whether you are using Zoom or any other video conferencing software, you will need to know how to be productive.

#1: Be sure you know exactly who is in charge. This may or may not seem obvious, but it is very important. Without a leader, things could get pretty chaotic very quickly. Know who is in charge of the meeting. You can also authorize co-hosts to help you manage the meeting. This can be especially helpful if the host is also presenting. The co-host can let people in, monitor chat, etc, freeing up the host to focus on speaking.

#2: Have an agenda. It is hard to be productive without a plan, so make sure you have one! Plan out some time for each topic that your meeting or webinar will be covering, and make sure you leave some extra at the beginning in case anyone has technical difficulties. Also beware of Zoom fatigue as you plan your video call—Zoom isn’t the same as face-to-face, so respect that others may not have the energy for hours of conferencing.

#3: Promote. If you are having a smaller meeting, tell all the attendees ahead of time when the meeting will be, and securely message them the meeting info (don’t post it on social media!). If it is a webinar, be sure to promote it and get the word out before it happens. It would be embarrassing if only two people showed up!

#4: Practice makes perfect. Plan a practice session ahead of time to make sure everyone is prepared for the real thing. You also should make sure that you have a reliable router and a stable internet connection so others won’t have trouble hearing you.

#5: Arrive at least five minutes early. This will prepare you to be on time even if you have trouble starting the meeting. It is also good to be there if anyone else comes early.

Here are a few questions for you to consider before you have your virtual meeting/conference!

Would a Zoom meeting or Zoom webinar be better? (Or even another video conferencing software?)
What is the purpose? Why is this meeting/conference important?
Who is in charge?
What topics will the speaker(s) be talking about?
Is there anything the host (or co-hosts) will need to screen share?
Will there be a Q&A time?
How will you get the word out in a secure manner?
Will there be a password?
How will you handle unexpected problems?
Will you use a custom Zoom background to block out distractions behind you?
Are you prepared to look good and be heard well?

Now you are all set. Have a fantastic video conference. =)

And if you aren’t ready or just don’t have enough time on your hands, we can set up and promote your video conference for you.

Sherman out!

Do you have a question for Sherman? If so, please send it to us.

Client Spotlight: Rework Work

David · Apr 25, 2020 ·

COVID-19 has transformed life and work for millions seemingly overnight. Businesses are closed or scrambling to adapt to stay-at-home orders, and baristas and CEOs alike are now teachers in their own homes. Despite the exchange of a cubicle for a kitchen table, essential businesses must keep operating. In other cases, companies are trying to find ways to still compensate their employees though work scopes have changed. Both of these scenarios require support from human resource professionals, who find themselves busier now than ever before.

Stacey A. Gordon is the founder and CEO of Rework Work, and has always been passionate about supporting employees in difficult circumstances. She also supports the Southern California chapter of the largest HR association in the world, and says that developing and implementing creative ways for employees and management to continue work has extended her workdays far beyond the normal nine-to-five.

Stacey A. Gordon

After earning her MBA from Pepperdine University, Stacey began her career as an HR Manager, but it was the nine years she spent as a recruiter that made her more aware of the foundational biases that fight against diversity in the workplace. It was out of that experience that Rework Work was born.

“I knew that, in most cases, the bias and prejudiced behaviors [in the hiring process] were not conscious decisions on the part of hiring executives,” says Stacey. “It wouldn’t be enough to just say, ‘you’re excluding candidates because they’re different from you.’ These behaviors are so deeply rooted that people may not realize how their decisions are being influenced.”

Rework Work’s mission is to help companies reduce bias and remove barriers to job entry for underrepresented minorities and women. Their process covers the lifecycle of an employee, starting with recruitment, with the premise that every time a decision needs to be made in regards to a candidate, there is room for bias to affect that decision and, ultimately, the course of their career. Rework Work creates customized solutions to help businesses identify and interrupt those decision-making points in order to implement practical tools to reduce the effect of bias.

Rework Work has worked with several universities in California and Oregon, as well tech companies in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Stacey and her team believe that promoting diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace isn’t about optics or meeting quotas. It’s about businesses reaping the benefits of an employee collective with unique talents and life experiences.

“When we surround ourselves with people who look and think like us,” Stacey explains, “we are limiting our resources and how far our business can go. If we look outside of that box, we broaden our own group of talent and experience, as well as gain access to each person’s individual network, broadening our pool of diverse candidates all the more. It’s that diversity that sparks innovation in business.”

Stacey isn’t just passionate about D&I; she’s made it her life’s work. She’s not only taught doctoral courses on business ethics and cultural intelligence as an adjunct professor, but as a coach and a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, she empowered job seekers to see their own value and make informed decisions about their career path. She’s written numerous career and diversity-related articles, as well as authored a book titled, The Successful Interview: 99 Questions to Ask and Answer (and Some You Shouldn’t). In addition to speaking at corporate events and conferences, Stacey has also developed four LinkedIn Learning courses: Recruiting for Diversity, Unconscious Bias, Making a Career Change, and Writing a Resume.

Stacey was once asked by the Black EOE Journal about the qualities needed to be a successful business owner. She emphasized the need to be flexible, have thick-skin, and be willing to take risks. Just as important, she continued, is the need to build a team you can trust. To that end, she has carefully built a team of experts in organizational leadership and development, communications, negotiations, and pay equity. When she needs a little extra support on the business side of things, however, Stacey trusts Duran Kinst Strategies (DKS) to provide the necessary results.

“When people ask me what [DKS] does for us, I say ‘everything’,” Stacey says. “When I ask them to do something, I don’t need to follow up or even think about it again. It just gets done. I jokingly tell others that if they don’t have a David [Duran], they need to get one.”

Connect with Stacey A. Gordon at linkedin.com/in/staceygordon or learn more at reworkwork.com.

Would you like to be featured in a future client spotlight? Send us a note.