ABOUT THE FIRM

Strategic Advocacy Group has been proud to represent the state governmental advocacy interests for various groups and organizations for many years. Since the early 1990’s, the principals and strategic partners of our firm have demonstrated an understanding of a wide variety of complex public policy issues and carefully cultivated and built the relationships necessary to successfully advance both legislative and executive branch agendas.

But what makes Strategic Advocacy Group so unique is not only its history of accomplishment, but also its broad-based service philosophy.

Our primary service offering is traditional, direct lobbying of Illinois state government, and/or members of the Illinois-based delegation to the United States Congress.

However, in an age of rapid information flow, heightened public engagement, and a rapidly changing multimedia environment, advocacy itself is a field that rapidly evolving. Strategic Advocacy Group prides itself on providing a full array of services intended to broaden and deepen the influence of our clients.

OUR CLIENTS

DIRECT LOBBYING

Autism Speaks

Aspire of Illinois

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

American Express

Illinois Association of Wastewater Agencies

Illinois Medical Oncology Society

Association of Election Commission Officials of Illinois

Illinois Directors and Owners of Childcare Centers

Kreider Services

Lake County, Illinois

Lake County Forest Preserve District

Partners for Environmental Responsibility

Solid Waste Agency of Lake County

WEB DESIGN & MARKETING

Ackerman Tile

Christ Church Episcopal

Dave Bourland Gallery

Illinois Chapter of the United Postmasters and Managers of America

Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association

Smashtoast, Inc

Springfield Men’s Soccer League

JCG Midwest

DIGS Associates

Urban Action Network

Village of Grandview

Orin Tech

Energy Tech Innovations, LLC

WHO WE ARE

Mike Grady

President & Founder

With three decades of experience in Illinois political and government relations, Mike Grady has worked for some of the biggest names in state government, and played a role in a the passage of some of the most impactful legislation in years. After stints as a high level appointee the 1990’s and early 2000’s with the Illinois State Treasurer, the Speaker of the Illinois House, the Illinois Secretary of State, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Mike Grady moved out of the public sector to become the Director of Public Policy and Government Relations for the American Cancer Society — a role in which he received national recognition as “Government Relations Professional of the Year” in 2007. In 2010, he started his own business as an independent government relations consultant where he has built a thriving practice as a leading lobbyist for groups that serve the developmentally disabled, public health organizations, recycling and environmental organizations, daycare owners and operators, and various units and associations of local government. Over his career he helped draft and lead the passage of the first aggravated DUI law in Illinois, legislation prohibiting people under the age of 21 from purchasing tobacco products, and multiple EPR (enhanced producer responsibility) laws that promote the environmentally responsible disposal of products that have reached end of life. In addition, he drafted and passed a law that made Illinois the 2nd state in the nation to require labeling on non-flushable wipes — which promises to save taxpayers enormous costs in repair to wastewater infrastructure. Finally, in 2007, he was instrumental in passing the Smoke Free Illinois Act, which remains to this day the strongest clean indoor air law in the nation. Consistent across all of his work is the unique integration of public relations, grassroots, and direct lobbying to achieve difficult public policy goals. Grady was born in Mattoon, Illinois; received his B.A. from Eastern Illinois University in 1992. In 2019, his non-fiction book, Dreaming of Heroes: America and the Golden Age of College Football, was published. He has liven in the Springfield, Illinois area for 30 years where he and his wife, Alyson, raised their three children, Justin, Aidan, & Clare.

Barnabas Helmy

Partner & VP, Marketing and Social Media

Barnabas Helmy has straddled the design world and the political world, in one way or another, for over two decades. After years of handling in-house campaign messaging, direct mail development, and graphic design for the Illinois Senate Democratic Leadership fund, Barnabas launched his own firm, Barnabas Helmy Design (or BHD) in 2010. A renowned artist, graphic designer and web designer, he’s learned the art of making “function” look good.

With the growth of social media and the general influence of the Internet, Barnabas has become a leader in designing online marketing campaigns for various interests; specializing in micro-targeting, message testing, and analytics across multiple online platforms. In addition, he has become a leader in the field when it comes to identification and awareness of online security threats, and using his knowledge to manage the back end security of client websites.

In 2018, recognizing the opportunity to leverage his web based services with emerging advocacy strategies in the public policy world, he merged BHD with his longtime collaborator, Strategic Advocacy Group where he is a Partner and serves as Vice President of Marketing and Social Media.

In addition, in 2015 he launched his own Tech Start-Up, SmashToast, Inc, where he invented, designed and launched the PUCK®, a patented product that allows infrared controlled devices to be controlled from any smartphone. This invention and his business has received multiple awards, and continues to grow and succeed.

He enjoys playing soccer, fishing and spending time with his wife Heather and daughter Bijoux.

Grainne Mahoney

Vice President, Legislative & Client Relations

Grainne Mahoney joined Strategic Advocacy Group in 2018 to help lead the firm’s merger with BHD as our Legislative and Client Relations specialist. Grainne comes to our team with over 20 years of expertise in state and local government, campaigns, not-for-profit development and fundraising. Her diverse background, strong communication skills and general knowledge of client needs make her an ideal point of contact for a partnership with the Strategic Advocacy Group.

Grainne’s love of politics started at a young age as she marched in numerous parades for various politicians with her parents and older siblings beginning at the ripe age of two. She interned in the Illinois House of Representatives and the United States Senate during her college years. After college she ran regional field operations for then-U.S. Senate candidate Dick Durbin, and later for the state-wide gubernatorial campaign of former US Congressman Glenn Poshard. Mahoney entered the not-for-profit world shortly thereafter but always maintained a strong presence in local and state wide politics.

Grainne has been an active volunteer for numerous organizations in the Springfield community, has served on the boards of the Kidzeum and the City of Springfield Historic Sites Commission, and is a strong advocate for the historic neighborhood in which she and her husband Mark reside with their four children. She has a B.A. in Political Science and English from the University of Iowa.

OUR SERVICES

Specifically, engagement with Strategic Advocacy Group includes any or all of the following primary services:

Grassroots Advocacy Consultation

Strategic Advocacy Group is one of the few firms that also specializes in grassroots advocacy, perhaps one of the most important and overlooked parts of government relations work. We help clients devise strategies to determine with whom to communicate and how to mobilize the general public on behalf of its public policy and legislative agendas. We also have a long history of conducting organized grassroots advocacy trainings for trade associations.

This comprehensive approach has continuously produced results for a broad range of our clients, from local governments, to non-profit organizations, to private corporations.

Strategic Advocacy Group is a Limited Liability Company headquartered in Springfield, Illinois. Our corporate structure allows us to partner with specific clients to ensure that we provide optimum service for every entity that we represent.

Please contact us at info@strategicadvocacy group, or at (217) 622-0309 for a specialized quote for service.

CONTACT US

Strategic Advocacy Group, LLC
2309 Mariners Point Lane
Springfield, IL 62712
grady@StrategicAdvocacyGroup.com
(217) 622-0309

Strategic Advocacy Group