By ANNA PALMER (anna@politico.com; @apalmerdc), BYRON TAU (btau@politico.com; @ByronTau)
05/07/2013 01:57 PM EDT PI EXCLUSIVE ... OORBEEK, MOREHOUSE MERGE FIRMS: Republican strategists Bill Oorbeek of The Oorbeek Group and Ashlee Reid Morehouse of Reid Political Consulting are merging their firms and will operate as Oorbeek Morehouse Strategies. The new firm's focus will include political fundraising and branding services for lawmakers, campaigns, political committees, companies, trade associations and nonprofits. The firm, which is headquartered one block from the Capitol, also includes Ashley Basquin Cavossa, Anne-Allen Welden and Kerry Donnelly. The firm's political clients include: Sen. Jim Risch and Reps. Tom Price, Scott Garrett, Patrick McHenry, Kay Granger, Richard Hudson, Steve Pearce, Steve Southerland, Bill Flores and the House Conservatives Fund. FIRST IN PI ... KOSKI JOINS MCBEE STRATEGIC CONSULTING: Chelsea Koski is joining McBee Strategic Consulting as vice president for McBee|Gibraltar, the company's strategic communications business. Koski joins from Qorvis Communications, where she worked on clients like Alpha Natural Resources, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, the Creative Coalition and Feld Entertainment. GOOD TUESDAY AFTERNOON, where it’s the 10th anniversary of rapper Dr. Dre being ordered to pay $1.5 million to the band Fatback by a jury. The 70s and 80s funk band alleged that Dre illegally borrowed a portion of their song “Backstrokin’” in his song “Let’s Get High.” PI bets you forgot about Dre — but we didn’t. Send all your lobbying and campaign finance news, gossip, tips and scoops to btau@politico.com and apalmer@politico.com. And follow us on Twitter at @ ByronTau and @ apalmerdc. WEXLER WALKER SHAKES UP LEADERSHIP: Joel Malina is stepping into the role of CEO and general manager of Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates. Malina, who has been with the firm since 1992, takes over for Dale Snape, who will become vice chairman after 20 years at the helm. Jody Hoffman, Tom Carpenter and George Rogers also have joined the firm's management committee, joining Malina, former Rep. Robert Walker, Snape and COO Jack Howard. DINH LAUNCHES WIN STRATEGIES, JOINS J.A. GREEN BOARD OF ADVISERS: Lobbyist Uyen Dinh has launched a new firm: Win Strategies. The firm's name is a play on her first name — which is pronounced "win." The new firm will focus on providing government relations, media, marketing and strategic consulting services. She previously served as vice president for government relations at GeoEye Inc. "Companies of all sizes want a better understanding of the complexities on the Hill, inside DoD and the IC. Win Strategies can guide clients to effectively navigate the federal government to achieve their government relations and communications objectives," Dinh said in a statement. J.A. Green & Company, the lobbying firm headed by defense lobbyist Jeff A. Green, has also added Dinh to its board of advisers. She joins 12 others on the board — and in her role with J.A. Green, she will help the firm's clients with policy advice and access to decision makers. ** A message from POWERJobs: New this week: American Chemistry Council is hiring a Director of Federal Affairs, Quest Diagnostics is hiring a VP of Government Affairs and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is hiring an Executive Director. Interested? Apply for this position and other great jobs in the area on POWERJobs, the career site for Washington’s top talent.** DIONNE, SIRACUSE HANG A SHINGLE, FORM ATLANTIC STRATEGIES GROUP: Veteran lobbyists Jennifer Dionne and Cece Siracuse have struck out on their own, forming a new firm, Atlantic Strategies Group. They previously both worked together at Hurt, Norton and Associates— where they are still working as outside consultants. “They've been absolutely wonderful,” Dionne told PI about Hurt Norton’s support for their new venture. The new firm will focus heavily on defense issues, but they also have clients in other spaces. Dionne and Siracuse are both Hill veterans. Siracuse worked on the staff of former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), while Dionne was a staffer to Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.). Both are veterans of the base realignment and closure process — and they’ve already registered BRAC clients from South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia. They’re competing in a small world of BRAC specialists that includes the Roosevelt Group, the Principi Group, the Spectrum Group and others. NORTHUP JOINS BRACEWELL GIULIANI: Bracewell & Giuliani LLPhas added former. Rep. Anne Northup (R-Ky.) to the firm's policy resolution group. She comes to Bracewell & Giuliani from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, where she served as a commissioner. According to a release, Northup will focus on energy, environment and consumer safety issues. "We welcome Congresswoman Northup to Bracewell & Giuliani,” said Bracewell & Giuliani partner and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. “She built a reputation in Congress as a highly respected leader who worked to create a better environment in the U.S. for economic growth and commerce.” GROCERY ORG. ADDS KOHLER, PRESTWOOD: The Grocery Manufacturers Association has added two new staffers, the firm announced Monday. Nancy Kohler and David Prestwood will join the firm's federal affairs staff. Kohler comes to the association from the Corn Refiners Association. Prestwood is a former policy adviser to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Need more Tax coverage? POLITICO Pro Tax is perfect for those who need a deeper dive on tax policy and regulatory affairs in Washington. POLITICO Pro Tax is delivered by 6 a.m. to help policy professionals get a jump on the day. In addition to delivering an earlier version of Morning Tax, Pro provides minute-to-minute coverage of the cross section of tax policy and regulation in Washington. For more information, call Pro Services at (703) 341-4600 or email info@politicopro.com. AMERICAN PRINCIPLES PROJECT REGISTERS SUPER PAC: The American Principles Project, the social conservative group founded by Princeton professor Robert George, has created a new super PAC, according to public records. The new super PAC, American Principles Fund, and APP share a K Street office. George, a longtime conservative activist, founded the organization in 2009 as a grassroots social conservative group. A spokesperson for APP did not immediately provide any additional details about the PAC. See the FEC filing here: http://bit.ly/13fhZ7y VIOLA DAVIS FUNDRAISES FOR CICILLINE: The 3rd annual Women's Luncheon event benefiting Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) lists House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and actress Viola Davis on the host committee invite. Davis, who starred in "The Help," grew up in Rhode Island and attended Rhode Island College. The luncheon will also honor Rhode Island entrepreneur Carolyn Rafaelian and Dr. Barbara Roberts, director of Women's Cardiac Center at Miriam Hospital. DRONE ASSOCIATION: DRONES CAN END HUNGER: What can’t drones do? Via POLITICO’s Juana Summers: Drone technology could be used to combat world hunger, the president of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International said Tuesday. Unmanned aircraft, said Michael Toscano, provide a "tremendous ability for us to be able to produce more food." "You'll be able to feed hundreds of millions of people. You could almost do away with starvation on this planet by using this technology," Toscano said, speaking on a panel at the New America Foundation. "If there was no privacy concern and there was no safety issue ... the ability for us to use this technology is unbelievable." ELSEWHERE IN THE INFLUENCE WORLD: Newt Gingrich and Anthony Weiner: Both shadow lobbyists, writes Tim LaPira. http://bit.ly/1415mfe The Center for Public Integrity reports that Elizabeth Colbert Busch’s outside money comes mostly from D.C. http://bit.ly/17JJLKr WaPo reports that “political intelligence” can come from Congress itself. http://wapo.st/ZNjcSS NEW POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REGISTRATIONS: American Principles Fund of Washington D.C. — Treasurer: Cale Turner (super PAC) NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS: (Firm: Client) Atlantic Strategies Group: Friends of Fort Rucker CORRECTION: A previous version of POLITICO Influence misspelled Joel Malina's name and incorrectly categorized the Grocery Manufacturers Association. It is a trade group. ** A message from POWERJobs: Looking to make a career move? Kimberly-Clark, AARP, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, CB Richard Ellis and other top Washington employers are looking for you! It’s easy to apply and connect through your Facebook or LinkedIn profile. Apply now at POWERJobs and set up job-specific email alerts so you never miss an opportunity.** ** A message from U.S. Travel Association and the travel industry: Travel is a powerful engine for a roaring economy. Travel is a driving force in reducing the trade deficit. Travel is millions of good jobs in every corner of America. In 2018, traveler spending generated $2.5 trillion in economic output, supported 15.7 million American jobs, and helped reduce our overall trade deficit, with $256 billion in U.S. travel exports creating a $69 billion travel trade surplus. The U.S. Travel Association unites the industry around its mission of growing travel to and within the U.S. to further boost the economy, add more jobs and lower the trade deficit. From supporting policies that ensure travel to the U.S. is as secure and expedient as possible to modernizing America’s travel infrastructure to be the world’s greatest—we are dedicated to the growth of this industry and its continued success. Travel matters to America--learn more about this industry’s impact and why travel should matter to you. ** Comments are closed.
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