Leading Government Affairs Firms in New Jersey Combine Strengths in Burgeoning Infrastructure Sector and Beyond
With New Jersey poised to receive a massive influx of federal investment in infrastructure in the coming years, two of the state’s leading government affairs consultancies—Porzio Governmental Affairs and Hawk Strategies—have formed a strategic partnership aimed at assisting companies with large transportation- and infrastructure-related needs. The agreement calls for Porzio Governmental Affairs, a subsidiary of the Morristown-headquartered law firm Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C., and Hawk Strategies, the premier transportation & infrastructure consultancy in New Jersey, to partner in servicing clients, marketing their services, and expanding their broad networks of political and industry contacts.
“Hawk Strategies simply has no equal in getting things done at the governmental level in the transportation & infrastructure space,” said Barbara DeMarco, vice president of Porzio Governmental Affairs. “Our clients will benefit tremendously from the access and insights that the Hawk Strategies team can provide on transportation and infrastructure issues.”
Porzio Governmental Affairs, a bipartisan firm in operation since 2006, provides strategic political and legislative counsel to clients across industries including telecommunications, gaming, tourism, and education. The partnership gives its clients access to Hawk Strategies consultants who have served in leadership at the New Jersey Department of Transportation, NJ TRANSIT, a global engineering firm, and at an infrastructure construction trade association. It comes at a time when the federal government’s largest infrastructure investment since The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 will be flowing into the state through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provides funding for roads, bridges, freight infrastructure, environmentally friendly transit projects, and more.
“The Porzio family of companies are known for their innovative thinking, and this agreement is one further example of it,” said Hawk Strategies CEO Anthony Attanasio. “Through the complementary abilities brought together by this partnership, we can assist from concept to completion on the most ambitious infrastructure projects.”
Before founding Hawk Strategies, Attanasio held a senior management position in external relations at the Fortune 200 company AECOM. He previously served as executive director of the Utility & Transportation Contractors Association and in senior positions at NJ TRANSIT and NJDOT. He and Hawk Strategies Vice President John Case, the former chief of staff to the commissioner of NJDOT, have worked on projects including the $1.4 billion Pulaski Skyway rehabilitation and the rebuilding of Route 35 following Superstorm Sandy.
The strategic partnership with Hawk Strategies continues a growth trend at Porzio Governmental Affairs, which recently saw senior director Dennis Marco rejoin PGA after establishing his own, successful public affairs firm. Marco’s background includes diverse public affairs roles at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the N.J. Department of Commerce and Economic Development, and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.