{"id":4692,"date":"2017-11-05T21:40:21","date_gmt":"2017-11-06T05:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=4692"},"modified":"2017-11-05T21:40:21","modified_gmt":"2017-11-06T05:40:21","slug":"top-lobbyists-2017-corporate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=4692","title":{"rendered":"Top Lobbyists 2017: Corporate"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cory Alexander,<\/strong>\u00a0UnitedHealth Group Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

Alexander oversees government and public affairs for the nation\u2019s largest health insurance payer, which largely withdrew from Affordable Care Act markets this year but continues to lead in the world of managed care.<\/p>\n

Bryan Anderson,<\/strong>\u00a0Southern Co.<\/em><\/p>\n

Anderson, in his seventh year in Southern\u2019s Washington office, is working to influence the Trump administration\u2019s actions on energy regulations.<\/p>\n

Sid Ashworth,\u00a0<\/strong>Northrop Grumman Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ashworth \u2014 who will retire from Northrop at the end of the year \u2014 transformed the defense firm\u2019s approach on Capitol Hill, securing support for several lucrative yet secretive nuclear modernization efforts, including the new B-21 bomber.<\/p>\n


\nBill Barloon,<\/strong>\u00a0Sprint Nextel Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Barloon leads the Washington office for the fourth-largest wireless carrier, which is attempting a merger with T-Mobile.<\/p>\n


\nWayne Berman,\u00a0<\/strong>Blackstone Group LP<\/em><\/p>\n

The private equity firm counts on Berman, a long-time GOP insider, to stay in the mix on trade policy and tax reform.<\/p>\n


\nKaran Bhatia,\u00a0<\/strong>General Electric Co.<\/em><\/p>\n

A former deputy U.S. trade representative in the George W. Bush administration, Bhatia has been with GE since 2008 but took control of its Washington office in April.<\/p>\n


\nAbigail Blunt,<\/strong>\u00a0The Kraft Heinz Co.<\/em><\/p>\n

Blunt drew upon her Washington know-how to lobby for an exclusion of steel tariffs for canned food; she\u2019s also been active on trade deals, sugar reform and labeling rules for unfiltered milk.<\/p>\n


\nStephen Brown,<\/strong>\u00a0Andeavor\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Andeavor \u2014 known before this summer as Tesoro Corp. \u2014 scored a high-profile guest in September, when President Trump gave a major tax reform speech at one of the company\u2019s refineries in North Dakota.<\/p>\n


\nMaria Cino,<\/strong>\u00a0Hewlett-Packard Co.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cino has been at the controls of HP\u2019s advocacy wing for five years, putting the company\u2019s weight behind high-skilled immigration visas and free trade policies, among other things.<\/p>\n


\nPeter Cleveland,<\/strong>\u00a0Intel Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cleveland, who draws on his experience working for Sen.\u00a0Dianne Feinstein<\/a><\/span>(D-Calif.)\u00a0 and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, manages Intel\u2019s policy portfolio, which includes promoting innovation in artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n


\nKenneth Cole,<\/strong>\u00a0Pfizer<\/em><\/p>\n

Cole and the Pfizer team are working to shape the future of trade and intellectual property worldwide, even as they battle back in Washington against accusations of unfair pricing.<\/p>\n


\nBob Filippone,<\/strong>\u00a0Merck & Co.<\/em><\/p>\n

Filippone, once the top lobbyist for the drugmaker\u2019s largest industry group, is working to ensure that a bill allowing terminally ill patients to try unapproved drugs doesn\u2019t have unintended consequences.<\/p>\n


\nTucker Foote,<\/strong>\u00a0Mastercard Inc<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Foote covers a lot of ground with the credit card company\u2019s lobbying force. Beyond the Beltway, he also has a\u00a0 hand in the global trade policies that remain a top concern for the company.<\/p>\n


\nMatt Gelman and Fred Humphries,<\/strong>\u00a0Microsoft Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Taxes and immigration top Microsoft\u2019s biggest policy issues, but the company is also working on legislation that would require federal authorities to obtain a warrant before a company has to hand over a customer\u2019s emails.<\/p>\n


\nBruce Harris,<\/strong>\u00a0Wal-Mart Stores Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

Harris was promoted to vice president of government affairs less than a year ago, and is now responsible for leading all federal advocacy for the conglomerate, which spent nearly $7 million on lobbying in 2016.<\/p>\n


\nRobert Helm,\u00a0<\/strong>General Dynamics Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Helm, the chief lobbyist for contracting giant General Dynamics, is in pursuit of funding to build the Army\u2019s updated Abrams tanks, the Army Stryker combat vehicle and the Navy\u2019s Columbia-class submarines, among other projects.<\/p>\n


\nGuy Hicks,<\/strong>\u00a0Airbus Group<\/em><\/p>\n

Hicks was on the frontlines as Airbus notched a major victory over rival Boeing and\u00a0bought a majority stake in Bombardier\u2019s C Series program.<\/p>\n


\nEd Hill,<\/strong>\u00a0Bank of America Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

A veteran of the National Governors Association, Hill carries the banner for the second largest bank in the U.S. as lawmakers look to reduce Dodd-Frank\u2019s banking rules and revamp the tax code.<\/p>\n


\nBrian Huseman,<\/strong>\u00a0Amazon<\/em><\/p>\n

In Huseman\u2019s second year as head of public policy, the e-commerce giant won quick federal approval for the acquisition of Whole Foods \u2014 a key victory for a company that increasingly holds sway in Washington.<\/p>\n


\nAlethia Jackson,\u00a0<\/strong>Walgreens<\/em><\/p>\n

Jackson, the manager of the store\u2019s federal advocacy, triumphed in a two-year lobbying battle when regulators accepted a $4.4 billion deal for Walgreens to buy nearly 2,000 Rite Aid stores.<\/p>\n


\nJoel Kaplan,<\/strong>\u00a0Facebook Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

A former deputy chief of staff for George W. Bush, Kaplan brings Washington savvy to the social media giant\u2019s growing public policy practice.<\/p>\n


\nTimothy Keating,\u00a0<\/strong>Boeing Co.<\/em><\/p>\n

As head of government operations for the world\u2019s largest aerospace company, Keating holds considerable clout; the company\u2019s advocacy work this year included negotiations on a new presidential aircraft fleet.<\/p>\n


\nKent Knutson,<\/strong>\u00a0The Home Depot Inc.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A jack of many trades, Knutson is keeping a close eye on corporate tax reform, the trade agenda, duties on softwood lumber, steel and aluminum, as well as labor rules and port improvements.<\/p>\n


\nLaura Lane and Dontai Smalls,<\/strong>\u00a0UPS<\/em><\/p>\n

This dynamic duo has been fighting to protect air cargo interests in an air traffic control reform bill, beating back against amendments that would make\u00a0cargo plane pilots subject to the same standards as passenger plane pilots.<\/p>\n


\nMelissa Lavinson,<\/strong>\u00a0PG&E Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Like its home state of California, PG&E has embraced environmental causes, leading the utility to advocate for technologies like solar power and electric vehicles.<\/p>\n


\nChris Leahy,<\/strong>\u00a0Bayer Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

The drug and agricultural company is counting on Leahy as it deals with drug pricing, intellectual property provisions in trade deals and a proposed mega-merger with the seed-maker Monsanto.<\/p>\n


\nMelissa Maxfield,<\/strong>\u00a0Comcast Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before joining Comcast in 2003, Maxfield spent more than a decade in Democratic Party politics; now she\u2019s poised to use her experience to help the company notch wins on issues like tax reform and net neutrality.<\/p>\n


\nTim McKone,<\/strong>\u00a0AT&T Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

McKone is a steady hand at the wheel of AT&T\u2019s policy shop; lobbyists there have been pushing back on net neutrality rules that telecom companies warn would stifle investment while working on a merger with Time Warner.<\/p>\n


\nJeanne Mitchell,<\/strong>\u00a0Exxon Mobil Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

As the United States\u2019 biggest oil and natural gas company, Exxon can move the needle on issues like climate change, drilling regulations and tax policy, and Mitchell has more than three decades in its lobby shop.<\/p>\n


\nSusan Molinari,<\/strong>\u00a0Google Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

A former New York congresswoman, Molinari knows the ins and outs of Capitol Hill, advocating for Google on issues like privacy, data security and the regulation of content and advertising online.<\/p>\n


\nChristopher Myers,<\/strong>\u00a0Caterpillar<\/em><\/p>\n

Myers keeps the gears turning on Caterpillar\u2019s lobbying machine, balancing a federal and international portfolio that covers issues such as infrastructure, tax reform and trade.<\/p>\n


\nSarah Novascone,<\/strong>\u00a0The Travelers Companies Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

Novascone was at the forefront of the effort to fix the National Flood Insurance Program after a string of devastating hurricanes struck the United States.<\/p>\n


\nZiad Ojakli,<\/strong>\u00a0Ford Motor Co.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ford\u2019s veteran lobbyist steered the automaker back onto smooth terrain after it took criticism from President Trump for planned investments in Mexico.<\/p>\n


\n<\/strong>Chris Padilla,<\/strong>\u00a0IBM<\/em><\/p>\n

A former top trade official in the George W. Bush administration, Padilla is overseeing IBM\u2019s push for a pro-tech trade agenda.<\/p>\n

Michael Paese,<\/strong>\u00a0The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

With Goldman alumni leading the Treasury Department and National Economic Council, Paese\u2019s bank is well positioned to shape changes to Dodd-Frank.<\/p>\n


\nDean Pappas and Steve English,\u00a0<\/strong>Nationwide Mutual Insurance\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Pappas and English roam widely across the policy landscape, having recently tackled the tax treatment of life insurance and retirement plans, the Labor Department\u2019s fiduciary rule, and patent and tax reform.<\/p>\n


\nAdam Peterman and\u00a0<\/strong>Marie Sylla-Dixon<\/strong>,\u00a0T-Mobile<\/em><\/p>\n

Peterman and Sylla-Dixon bring years of Capitol Hill and telecom policy experience to the wireless provider, which is on pace to break its lobbying spending record for the fifth year in a row.<\/p>\n


\nRobert Rangel,<\/strong>\u00a0Lockheed Martin Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rangel oversees the powerhouse defense contractor\u2019s lobbying on projects such as the F-35 fighter jet program, a project that won favor with President Trump after a rocky start.<\/p>\n


\nIssac Reyes,<\/strong>\u00a0Target Corp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Reyes, a former Democratic aide recently promoted to vice president of government affairs, helped defeat an effort to repeal the caps on fees banks charge on debit transactions.<\/p>\n


\nJoseph Seidel,<\/strong>\u00a0Credit Suisse Group AG<\/em><\/p>\n

Seidel is speaking out for the international financial services company as Washington grapples with the rapid change taking place in global investment and trading markets.<\/p>\n


\nJonathan Weisgall,<\/strong>\u00a0Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co.<\/em><\/p>\n

Weisgall has a loaded agenda this year thanks to movement on numerous fronts that are important to electric utilities, a core part of Berkshire\u2019s energy portfolio.<\/p>\n


\nCandi Wolff and John Emling,<\/strong>\u00a0Citigroup Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wolff and Emling are advocates to watch as lawmakers debate how the federal government regulates banks and emerging financial technology products, data security issues and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau\u2019s arbitration rule.<\/p>\n

Read more from The Hill:<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Lobbyists 2017: Hired Guns<\/a><\/p>\n

Top Lobbyists 2017: Associations<\/a><\/p>\n

Top Lobbyists 2017: Grass roots<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a9 Getty Images Cory Alexander,\u00a0UnitedHealth...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4692"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4693,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4692\/revisions\/4693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}