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What We Do

Using our team’s combined experience in public policy, law, government and communications, Issues Management advocates for clients in the support and defense of their interests. The firm’s goal is to help them deal with the public issues and events that affect their bottom lines and their reputations. We give our clients the chance to even the playing field and create strategic advantage.

Based on our client’s need, our work may take different directions. Typically, our combined problem-solving skills are applied in one or more of these areas to create multi-faceted campaigns:

Legislative Advocacy
Regulatory Counseling/Project Management
Environmental Issues Management
Strategic Communication
Grassroots Advocacy and Coalition-Building
Business Development
Crisis Management

Environmental Issues Management

New Jersey-based companies work in an arena with multiple environmental layers. Most new construction or expansions face some level of environmental scrutiny. The environmental impact must be assessed and managed with optimum attention to detail and creativity in problem solving. Our reputation for substantive advocacy within various state and federal agencies gives us the credibility necessary to achieve results, especially in areas without precedent. Effective Issues Management concepts are now in use by regulatory authorities to create statewide solutions to siting and approval problems.

Combining Common Sense and Science
Our client, a 24-acre superfund site, located in Middlesex County, is a former landfill that accepted chemical, municipal and industrial wastes. Both the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency were involved with the investigation into the long-term cleanup of the site. In 1995, EPA issued a Record of Decision that determined that the remedy for the contaminated ground water would involve extraction and on-site treatment, a process known as pump and treat.

We proposed a different solution, a process known as biosparge, a much less costly treatment option. Issues Management brought all the parties to the table and kept the conversation going. It took time and persistence but eventually, we were able to gain acceptance of a pilot program allowing use of the biosparge process at the site and provide independent result testing to the EPA. The results were excellent and in October 2009 the EPA amended the Record of Decision identifying biosparge as the accepted remedy for the site.