Key Points: 

D.C. lobbying firm partners with local consults 

Alliance targets growth in defense, technology and health care

Another national flag planted portends further interest in future

A partnership between a local lobbying firm and a Washington D.C. behemoth may just be a harbinger for greater national interest in Arizona, especially amid rapid growth in the state and a dynamic political climate. 

BGR Group, a bipartisan firm based in D.C., with offices in Austin, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia and Nashville, Tennessee, announced in June it would be staking out a new headquarters in Phoenix with Consilium Consulting, a policy advocacy firm headed by former chief of staff to Gov. Doug Ducey and former Speaker of the House Kirk Adams.

The D.C. firm stands as the third top-earning lobbying firm in 2025, reporting 281 clients totalling $32.1 million, with $17.5 million reported in Q2. 

Consilium Consulting, meanwhile, represents clients like the Mayo Clinic, Greater Phoenix Leadership and the Arizona Medical Association in the state. 

The two firms plan to collaborate on economic development, as well as defense, health care and technology. 

Adams attributes the partnership and growing interest in Arizona to rising political competition and a growing economy, particularly in advanced manufacturing and the semiconductor industry. 

“When you have this much capital, both from foreign investors, but also domestic investors coming into our state like we have right now, that means there’s going to be a lot of connectivity with public policy makers,” Adams said. 

Loren Monroe, practice head and principal at BGR, said the firm deliberately looked at states with a strong economy, active private sector growth and dynamic political infrastructure. 

“With a Democratic governor, Republican Legislature, Democratic U.S. Senate delegation, Democratic AG, Republican House members, it’s clear that there is a robust political environment that reflects the national mood,” Monroe said. “It’s, to us, really a microcosm of a lot of the great work that is going on across the country, and we want to be a part of it.” 

The result puts a national lens on state politics, and vice versa. 

“We seem to do our part to hold the country’s attention every election cycle. And now we’re starting to hold the country’s attention when it comes to our economy and the opportunity that exists here,” Adams said.

And, given the current trajectory, BGR and Consilium serve as an indicator of continued national presence in the state, especially in approaching upcoming elections.

Matt Kenney, partner at Echo Canyon Consulting, a national firm headquartered in Arizona, with offices in Dallas, Texas, and Alexandria, Virginia, said Arizona’s bipartisan representation at both the federal and state level, as well as the state’s growing position as a major swing state have served as a catalyst for increased involvement in the state. 

On the political side, close races for statewide offices continue to bring in interest from national fundraisers. 

And in the public and government affairs vein, key issues find an epicenter in the state in terms of energy, water, housing, development and international trade, especially cross-border trade with Mexico. 

In any case, Kenney noted an undeniable overlap in national and state policy. 

“National policy shifts or changes will have a local impact, and it’s on firms just like Echo Canyon to help facilitate those conversations and make sure that politicians understand what those local impacts are going to be, the potential political implications of that,” Kenney said. 

 Monroe echoed the same. 

“Increasingly, there isn’t much of a red line between state government and federal government lobbying. There needs to be a collaboration where sometimes the most effective touch to a member of Congress in Washington can be through the Governor’s Office or the best way to convince a company to locate in a state is because both sides of the political equation welcome them,” Monroe said.

He continued, “Those are pieces of a puzzle that takes expertise on the ground to put together. You can’t do that from thousands of miles away.”