Applying a Blue-Collar Work Ethic to a White-Collar Town

That’s the attitude that Jeff Green encourages his team to bring to work every day at J.A. Green & Company. Growing up in rural Upstate New York, working as a real-life cowboy, and carrying the keys to nuclear weapons as an Air Force officer taught Jeff that perseverance, humility, and dedication to the mission can take someone a long way.

​At J.A. Green & Company, we believe that an effective government affairs strategy requires hard work, not just flashy slide decks and an expense account. Our lobbyists, strategic advisors, and research staff all take the time to learn about our clients and their capabilities, match them with real-world government problems, and create workable solutions that not only enhance the client’s bottom line but demonstrably improve the national security of the United States.

This model starts at the top. Jeff, while serving on the House Armed Services Committee Professional Staff, was frustrated by lobbyists bringing him problems instead of solutions. The private sector is supposed to be the font of innovation, not a source of handouts from the government. From the first days of the firm in 2007, Jeff succeeded by pushing clients to clearly identify not only their goals and strengths but also their weaknesses. This allowed him to work towards holistic policy and funding solutions that created win-win situations for private industry and the government. It also built a firm reputation of taking only strong clients offering real solutions.

In the almost two decades since 2007, with dozens of dedicated employees having worked at the firm, that ethos has not changed. Everyone at J.A. Green & Company has in mind that we need to provide value not only to the client but also to the country. You will not find our firm in any Foreign Agent Registration Act entries, and even our foreign-based clients are here because they believe in building the U.S. defense industrial base.

​Our work is practical, ethical, and tangible. Though we generally believe that it is more important to give credit to the client and the government than ourselves, some key achievements in the firm’s history that we will publicize include:

• Limiting the ability of the Chinese and Russian governments to maintain a stranglehold on critical materials used by the Department of Defense, including rare earths, refractory metals, and printed circuit boards.
• Restricting the Department of Defense from using Russian-made rocket engines for national security space launch missions and opening up competition to U.S.-based companies.
• Providing innovative commercial companies with pathways to make real-world impacts on U.S. military operations, including intelligence analysis software used in Afghanistan, drones being used on the frontlines in Ukraine, and artificial intelligence solutions for emerging problems around the globe.
• Maintaining a one-of-a-kind casting and forging capability in the Midwest, assisting the startup of the first U.S. rare earth magnet factory in nearly 40 years, and blocking efforts to replace a single U.S. supplier of a key component of space launch with a subsidized foreign alternative.
• Leading an early-stage startup from minimal sales at the Department of Defense to a Program of Record and 10x increase in valuation, culminating in a successful exit over the course of a less than two-year engagement.

Yet it is perhaps the less-flashy work, like maintaining the protections of the Berry Amendment and Specialty Metals Clause since their codification, that really highlight how the firm views itself as an enabler of American success. These laws, which require the Department of Defense to use American sources for various materials, are good for American business, good for national security, and ultimately good for the American blue-collar worker. Not every lobbying firm in town can boast of good relationships with both private equity firms and labor unions, but J.A. Green & Company believes that good policy brings citizens of various stripes together.

Hard work and a willingness to share burdens and credit are what carried this country through some of its darkest moments. Come let us show you how we plan to meet the next decade of challenges.