ADVOCACY
RICHARD J. GMEREK, ESQUIRE
Dick is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Gmerek Government Relations, Inc.
He is a well-recognized lawyer/lobbyist in Pennsylvania and has been honored by:
- Harrisburg Magazine naming him as one of the top lawyer/lobbyists in Central Pennsylvania.
- The PA Report listing him in the Top 100 most politically connected list.
- The Insiderincluding him in the Political VIP Power list.
- Governor Edward Rendell naming Dick to serve as his gubernatorial appointee to the Lobbying Disclosure Act and Regulations Committee.
- The Harrisburg Patriot-News naming Dick as one of the most intelligent lobbyists in Harrisburg.
Dick is also a lawyer/lobbyist lecturer:
- He has lectured at several Continuing Legal Education (CLE) classes for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute throughout the year on Lawyer/Lobbying Ethics.
- He’s a speaker on Lawyer/Lobbying Ethics at the PA State Office of General Counsel (OGC) University.
- He’s been a presenter on Ethics and Lobbying at Widener Law School and for the Pennsylvania Association for Government Relations.
From 1980-1985, Dick served as counsel to the Pennsylvania Senate Republican Majority Leader and President Pro Tempore; and he was Deputy Chief Counsel to the Senate Republican Caucus where he advised and counseled individual Senators and developed Senate policy and negotiated complex legislation. He entered private practice in 1985 and concentrated his practice at that time in Pennsylvania government law and government relations. He created Wolf Block Government Relations, LP (WBGR) in 2001 where his focus changed solely on government/political relations. In 2009, after the WolfBlock law firm dissolved, Dick started Gmerek Government Relations, Inc. It is important to note that many of Dick’s first clients are still clients today, e.g. AFLAC, the Pennsylvania AAA Federation, 84 Lumber Company/Nemacolin Woodlands, Family Planning Councils, and others.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
CHRIS BARRON is President of Right Turn Strategies. Before founding RTS, he was Director of Communications at Van Scoyoc Associates, served as the Director of Communications Practice at McDonald Hopkins Government Strategies, was President of CapSouth Consulting – a full-service communications firm – and was the co-founder and Chairman of the Board of GOProud. During the most recent campaign cycle, Barron was a media surrogate for the Trump campaign and the organizer of LGBT for Trump.
Barron is a contributor to The Hill, is a regular on the Kennedy Show on the FOX Business Channel and Unfiltered on Head Line News, and was a previous contributor to Breitbart News, The Guardian and the Daily Caller.
Barron has also served as a press representative for former Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-OH), former Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH), and former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA).
Barron is a communications specialist with a successful history of communicating complex issues to conservative audiences. He has worked with a wide range of clients and represented individuals and interests across the political spectrum. Barron provides clients with comprehensive communications, government affairs, public relations, and media relations services. His previous client list includes trade associations, businesses, individuals, state and national political organizations and interest groups, as well as candidates and elected officials on the local, state, and federal level.
Barron has helped to create media and public relations strategies for clients on a wide range of issues. His efforts and expertise allowed clients to position themselves effectively on the inside and outside of key policy discussions. Barron has assisted clients with brand development, issue messaging and message amplification, media content, media placement, crisis communication strategies, and much more.