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CGCN Group

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
CGCN Group
FormerlyClark Geduldig Cranford & Nielsen
TypeLimited liability company
IndustryGovernment relations; public affairs; strategic communications
Predecessor
  • Clark Geduldig Cranford & Nielsen (2013-2015);
  • Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford (2011-2013);
  • Clark Lytle & Geduldig (2008-2011);
  • Clark & Associates (1999-2008)
Founded2000
FounderSteve Clark
Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
,
United States
Area served
United States
Websitecgcn.com

CGCN Group is a Washington, D.C.-based public affairs, strategic communications, policy advisory, and analytics firm that provides government relations, stakeholder engagement, regulatory strategy, and communications services to corporate, association, and nonprofit clients.[1] The firm was founded in 2000 and was formerly known as Clark Geduldig Cranford & Nielsen. Several of the firm's principals previously served in Republican administrations and congressional leadership positions. The firm has strong ties to Republican policymakers and the party's conservative wing.[2][3] Its clients have included financial institutions, energy companies, trade associations, and corporations such as News Corporation, Mastercard, and American Airlines.[4][5][6]

History

[edit]

CGCN Group originated from the lobbying firm created by Steve Clark in 2000.[7] Sam Geduldig and Gary Lytle joined Clark in 2007, and the firm became known as Clark Lytle & Geduldig.[8]

The firm worked with financial services companies during the financial reform debate from 2009 to 2010, involving laws like the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. At the time, CGCN had more financial services clients in Washington, D.C., than other firms during the Troubled Asset Relief Program.[9] In the wake of Republicans taking control of Congress in 2010, CGCN saw strong growth in its business[5] and the firm doubled in size from 2015 to 2017.[10] While closely tied to GOP leadership—its partners have worked with former House Speaker John Boehner and others—CGCN was among the first lobbying firms to court the conservative Freedom Caucus.[11][12]

The firm was known as Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford and Clark Geduldig Cranford & Nielsen between 2011 and 2015,[13][14] when the firm renamed itself CGCN Group.[15] In 2015, CGCN's clients included oil companies, such as Hess, for whom they lobbied to end the ban of crude oil exports.[16] CGCN was named a top lobbying firm by Bloomberg Government in 2015.[17] A report by Bloomberg Government gave CGCN the highest mark for firms retaining clients over the long term.[15] According to Bloomberg, CGCN retains 83 percent of its clients for at least three years, a higher percentage than other firms.[15]

CGCN worked with foreign clients from 2016 to 2019, when it worked with Saudi Arabia to build relationships with U.S. congressional Republicans.[18][19] The next year, CGCN signed Japan as its second foreign client.[20] In 2017, CGCN lobbied for: SAP America on data security, privacy, cybersecurity, health IT, cloud computing and privacy shield implementation;[21] Puerto Rico Department of Treasury;[22] American Investment Council, a private equity trade group;[23] power company NextEra Energy on energy policy and tax credits;[23] and TransCanada Corp. on the Keystone XL pipeline.[24] The firm's other clients include 21st Century Fox, TC Energy, MasterCard, and NewsCorp.[4] Also in 2017, CGCN announced a partnership with two Democratic firms with close ties to the Congressional Black and Congressional Hispanic caucuses to seek bipartisan victories, potentially in the areas of "jobs, transportation infrastructure, outside investment, energy, and economic development", according to a memo on the partnership. This strategic partnership is called United By Interest (UBI), the first bipartisan, majority-minority-owned government relations firm in the U.S.[2][25]

In the few years leading up to 2017, CGCN Group quadrupled in size.[26] Like other lobbying firms, CGCN Group posted a strong first year under the Trump administration.[27][26] It made $8.4 million in revenue in 2017 (compared to $6.6 million in 2016), including $2.2 million in the fourth quarter (compared to $1.6 million the year before).[27] CGCN Group reported $2.6 million in revenue during the fourth quarter of 2024 (with a total annual revenue of $9.6 million in 2024), and $3.8 million in revenue during the fourth quarter of 2025. CGCN nearly doubled its federal lobbying revenue from $9.7 million in 2024 to more than $18.9 million in 2025.[28] According to Roll Call, CGCN is closely related to UBI (United by Interest), a bipartisan K Street (Washington, D.C.) group lobbying business interests on Capitol Hill.[29]

Services and practices

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CGCN Group provides government relations, public affairs, strategic communications, advocacy, policy advisory, regulatory strategy, and analytics services. In 2026, CGCN formalized two divisions, CGCN Policy and Regulatory and CGCN Analytics, alongside the firm's lobbying and strategic communications practices. The policy and regulatory practice includes energy and environmental and health care teams, while the analytics practice is led by senior vice president Anna Mikulska.[30]

Partners

[edit]

As of February 2026, CGCN Group has 24 partners.[31][32][29]

Initial partners

[edit]

Partner Steve Clark began the firm in 2000 in Ohio.[33] Sam Geduldig joined in 2007, after previously working as senior advisor to U.S. Representative Roy Blunt and John Boehner's political director from 1997 to 2000.[34] In 2011, Geduldig was named one of Washingtonian 40 Under 40, and he ranked No. 3 on K Street's top 10 lobbyists giving to the GOP in 2016.[11][35] Jay Cranford joined Clark Lytle & Geduldig in 2011.[36] Mike Nielsen joined CGCN in 2013.[14] He previously worked an aide to GOP members of the Senate Banking Committee and with U.S. Senator Bob Bennett.[37] Nielsen worked on the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act and the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul.[33]

Partners since 2014

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John Stipicevic was a member of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's office, where he liaisoned between GOP leadership and conservative members of Congress, before joining CGCN in 2015.[38]

Michael Catanzaro was a partner from 2015[39] until 2017, when Trump selected him as an energy advisor for the president's National Economic Council.[40] Catanzaro also worked on Trump's transition team following the 2016 election.[41] Catanzaro left the Trump administration in April 2018 to rejoin CGCN Group.[42][43][44]

Matt Rhoades[45] joined the firm in 2019.[46] Matt Rhoades was previously campaign manager for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential run. Scott Riplinger (former legislative director for Mike Crapo) joined CGCN in 2020.[47]

In 2021, as part of a merger with DC-based PR firm Matador, the firm added communications strategist Tracey Schmitt, former RNC Press Secretary and spokeswoman for the Bush re-elect campaign, as a Senior Partner. Merrill Smith, a former Bush Administration official, also joined from Matador.[48]

Since 2020, the firm has nearly quadrupled in size, and grown to include 24 partners, with additions including Tim Pataki, Ja'Ron Smith, Tim Killeen, Amber Kirschoeffer, C. Travis Cone, Jill Hamaker, Alex Renjel, Peter Ventimiglia, and Dave Weinman.[49][31] The firm has extensive ties with the Trump administration; current partners such as Tim Pataki and Ja'Ron Smith had also worked for the first Trump administration.[50][51] The firm routinely organizes events with US Cabinet members, including Vice President JD Vance, as well as conservative media outlets such as Breitbart News.[52][53]

In 2025, the firm hired Harrison Fields, who was Principal Deputy Press Secretary and Special Assistant to the President in the second Trump administration.[54] In 2026, Fields was promoted to partner.

In November 2025, former U.S. representative Brad Wenstrup joined CGCN Group as a strategic partner. Wenstrup also serves on the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.[55]

In 2026, Sarah Gilbert, former chief of staff to Representative Neal Dunn, joined CGCN Group as a partner.[56]

In 2026, Katherine Scarlett, who previously served as chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, joined CGCN Group as a partner. The United States Senate confirmed Scarlett as chair of CEQ in September 2025, where she served as President Trump's advisor on environmental quality policy and led permitting reform negotiations with Congress and across the federal government.[57][58]

Awards and recognition

[edit]

Bloomberg Government has included CGCN Group in its annual reports on top-performing lobbying firms in multiple years.[59] In its 2024 report, Bloomberg Government listed CGCN Group with $9.8 million in lobbying revenue; in its 2025 report, Bloomberg Government listed the firm with $19.198 million in revenue, a 96.44 percent year-over-year increase.[60]

Partners at CGCN Group have appeared on The Hill’s annual Top Lobbyists list in each year since 2009.[61]

In 2026, Campaigns & Elections named CGCN Group winner of two Reed Awards: Best Website – Issue Advocacy or Public Affairs Campaign – Non-Partisan, and Best Audio Ad – Public Affairs/Issue Advocacy Campaign or Ballot Initiative.[62]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Home page". CGCN Group. Washington, D.C.: CGCN Group LLC. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 Grim, Ryan (14 June 2017). "GOP lobby shop courts black and Hispanic Democrats in vacuum left by liberal establishment". The Intercept. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  3. ↑ Arnsdorf, Isaac (9 November 2016). "K Street poised for big business in GOP-run Washington". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 "CGCN Group". Bloomberg LP. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  5. 1 2 Sherman, Jake (6 September 2016). "WSJ reporter Patrick O'Connor joining CGCN Group". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "Search Registrations & Quarterly Activity Reports". LDA.gov. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Top Lobbyists 2013". The Hill. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  8. ↑ McCarthy, Aoife (17 September 2007). "Suite Talk: Health care boost". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  9. ↑ "A rundown of the big financial service lobbyists". The New York Times. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  10. ↑ Arnsdorf, Isaac (24 January 2017). "Akin Gump, BHFS, Podesta Group top LDA ranking". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  11. 1 2 Kashino, Marisa M. (23 May 2011). "Sam Geduldig: 40 Under 40". Washingtonian. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  12. ↑ Arnsdorf, Isaac (20 December 2016). "One firm's take on doing business in Trump's Washington". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  13. ↑ "Top Lobbyists: Hired Guns". The Hill. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  14. 1 2 Ackley, Kate (11 December 2013). "Gary Lytle begins long goodbye". Roll Call. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  15. 1 2 3 Wilson, Megan R. (27 May 2015). "K Street's gains felt at boutique firms". The Hill. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  16. ↑ Ho, Catherine (17 December 2015). "Inside the lobbying campaign to end the ban on crude oil exports". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  17. ↑ "2015 Top Lobbying Firms" (PDF). Bloomberg Government. 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  18. ↑ Czarnecki, Sean (January 23, 2019). "CGCN Group ends relationship with Saudi Arabia". PR Week. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  19. ↑ Arnsdorf, Isaac (5 December 2016). "Saudis tap CGCN". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  20. ↑ Meyer, Theodoric (13 April 2017). "Ballard Partners snags Robert Wexler". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  21. ↑ Arnsdorf, Isaac (18 January 2017). "Sphere signs Sberbank". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  22. ↑ Meyer, Theodoric (10 April 2017). "Urologists fight over control of PAC". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  23. 1 2 Arnsdorf, Isaac (6 January 2017). "Jim Murphy to BakerHostetler". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  24. ↑ Cama, Timothy (15 February 2017). "Keystone pipeline builder signs lobbyist". The Hill. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  25. ↑ Jonathan Swan (26 March 2017). "Trump sees Black Caucus as potential policy ally". Axios. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  26. 1 2 Wilson, Megan R. (20 October 2017). "Boom times: Lobbyists riding high in the Trump era". The Hill. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  27. 1 2 Meyer, Theodoric; Levine, Marianne (23 January 2018). "Lobbying firms report a strong first year under Trump". Politico. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  28. ↑ "Trump 2.0 unleashes a gusher on K Street". POLITICO. January 21, 2026. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  29. 1 2 Roll Call (Congress): K Street's CGCN Group picks up big names from Definers
  30. ↑ "Lobbying fight heats up over Israel provision". POLITICO. June 9, 2026. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  31. 1 2 "Our people". CGCN.com. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  32. ↑ The Hill: Republican lobbying firms riding high despite uncertainty of 2020 race
  33. 1 2 Ackley, Kate (2 January 2013). "K Street Files: Clark Lytle, Thorn Run Add New Partners". Roll Call. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  34. ↑ "Sam Geduldig". Salina Journal. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  35. ↑ Ackley, Kate (7 March 2017). "Top K Street campaign donors already writing checks for 2018". Roll Call. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  36. ↑ Ackley, Kate (18 April 2011). "Boehner aide exiting for K Street". Roll Call. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  37. ↑ Burr, Thomas; Canham, Matt (17 November 2010). "Bennett may head lobbying group". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  38. ↑ Sherman, Jake; Palmer, Anna (10 December 2015). "Top McCarthy aide heading to K Street". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  39. ↑ "Michael Catanzaro". InsideGov.com. Retrieved 5 August 2017.[permanent dead link]
  40. ↑ Cook, Nancy; Restuccia, Andrew (5 July 2017). "Inside the White House's policymaking juggernaut". Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  41. ↑ Lipton, Eric (11 November 2016). "Trump campaigned against lobbyists, but now they're on his transition team". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  42. ↑ "Trump energy adviser, fossil fuel champion, resigning". The Associated Press. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  43. ↑ Meyer, Theodoric; Levine, Marianne (17 April 2018). "Catanzaro returns to CGCN". Politico. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  44. ↑ Cama, Timothy; Green, Miranda. "Top Trump energy adviser resigns". The Hill. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  45. ↑ RollCall Congress: K Street's CGCN Group picks up big names from Definers
  46. ↑ Meyer, Theodoric (September 4, 2019). "Definers tries to reboot after Facebook oppo research controversy". Politico. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  47. ↑ Politico: Crapo aide heads to K Street
  48. ↑ "Here's where K Street scored victories in the reconciliation framework". POLITICO. 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  49. ↑ Giorno, Taylor (January 22, 2026). "Trump 2.0 Shakes Up K Street Power Balance". NOTUS. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  50. ↑ Thompson, Alex (August 20, 2025). "Scoop: Harrison Fields, Trump's principal deputy press secretary, heads to K Street". Axios. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  51. ↑ Gangitano, Alex (August 21, 2025). "White House spokesperson leaving for K Street firm". The Hill. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  52. ↑ Severns, Maggie; Peterson, Kristina (April 28, 2025). "Bear Hunts and McDonald's: A New Breed of MAGA Lobbyists Upends Washington". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Vice President Vance Speaks at Breitbart News Event". C-SPAN.org. November 20, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  54. ↑ Thompson, Alex (August 20, 2025). "Scoop: Harrison Fields, Trump's principal deputy press secretary, heads to K Street". Axios. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  55. ↑ Wales, Mary (February 12, 2025). "President Trump Announces the President's Intelligence Advisory Board". The White House. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  56. ↑ "Dueling narratives around lagging ACA signups". POLITICO. May 26, 2026. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  57. ↑ "Katherine Scarlett Confirmed as 13th Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality". The White House. September 18, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  58. ↑ Ackley, Kate; Lunney, Kellie (July 7, 2026). "Trump White House Environmental Council Chair Exits for K Street". Bloomberg Government. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  59. ↑ Giorno, Taylor (November 6, 2025). "Former Rep. Brad Wenstrup Joins Republican CGCN Group". NOTUS. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  60. ↑ "Bloomberg Government Annual Top Lobbying Firms Report Reveals $5.3 Billion Industry Spending in 2025". Bloomberg Government. April 15, 2026. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  61. ↑ Lane, Sylvan; Timotija, Filip; Venkat, Surina; Anderson, Lee Ann (December 11, 2025). "Top Lobbyists 2025". The Hill. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  62. ↑ "2026 Reed Award Winners". campaignsandelections.com. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
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