At Pugliese Associates, we’ve built our reputation on success, and we’re proud of the impact we’ve had on Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Take a look at some of our most recent case studies.
Collaborating once again with legislative leaders and our clients, Pugliese Associates worked to develop language that ultimately resulted in the City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ) program. The project included a series of meetings over a number of months with the secretaries of Revenue, Budget, and the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). Despite the loftiness of the goal, the Pugliese Associates team was successful in reaching an agreement that was acceptable to all of the stakeholders. Next up was negotiating a deal with the House to move the bill the rest of the way through the General Assembly. The process was successful and ultimately enacted by the Governor in 2013.
Our role didn’t end there, however. Pugliese Associates continued to lobby for our clients following the measure’s enactment by holding meetings with the Governor’s administration and key department officials to ensure Lancaster and Bethlehem were the top two choices for CRIZ designation. Since the CRIZ was a pilot program, only two third-class cities and a borough were allowed into the program. Fortunately, our work paid off and a few months later both cities’ applications were approved by DCED.
Two weeks after Pugliese Associates was engaged, the bill’s supporters were successful in getting the legislation moved from committee. Pugliese lobbyists sprang into action, building a strong, rational case for the legislation’s defeat and developing an action plan for future success. Despite furious efforts from the measure’s supporters, the bill was bottled up in committee for the remainder of the two-year session. Our watchful eyes and defensive strategies continued to prevent the bill from ever receiving a floor vote.
Rather than push for another bill, our client’s competitor instead asked for a meeting with our client in hopes of reaching an agreement. Our success in foiling their legislative agenda allowed our client to negotiate from a position of strength. The talks were successful, and our clients achieved their goal of protecting their members.
The issue was complicated by a Pennsylvania dealers license that was erroneously issued to our client, and the company’s subsequent decision to open a sales center in Southeastern PA. Legislation was necessary to legalize that center, as well as give the client authorization to open additional stores across the Commonwealth.
With the client’s consent, Pugliese Associates negotiated with the PA Automotive Association (the dealers’ trade association in Pennsylvania) to create legislation giving our client the specific right to sell directly to the consumer.
The Automobile Manufacturers Association, led by General Motors, fought the bill. Despite the powerful opposition, however, Pugliese lobbyists tapped legislative leaders and key committee chairs with whom we had extensive relationships and moved the measure through the General Assembly with extraordinary swiftness. Just four months after first being retained, the legislation was signed into law by the Governor.
Pugliese developed a strategy to facilitate meetings with key decision makers within those state agencies most poised to benefit from the client’s offerings. Department of Corrections (DOC) was the first targeted agency because of its size and specific needs. With Pugliese Associates’ assistance, the client was quickly positioned for a significant sale with the return on investment being a key consideration for DOC leadership. The challenge was far from met; however, because the company was still not the current Enterprise IT Standard vendor. Pugliese Associates had to work with the State’s Office of Administration to present and justify a strong, solid and business-specific case for using the client’s cutting-edge technology at DOC.
It was an arduous process, but with Pugliese Associates’ procurement team staying the course and maintaining a dialogue with agency leaders, the Corrections project was launched within two years and the client then became the Enterprise IT Standard for the Commonwealth. The solution also resulted in our client’s project becoming part of the Governor’s Go-TIME (Governor’s Office of Transformation, Innovation, Management and Efficiencies) initiative. The company continues to work toward expansion of footprint through the efforts of Pugliese Associates.
During a fairly recent rebid for renewal, the advertising contract was awarded to another vendor.
Together with our partners at McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC, and in concert with our client, Pugliese Associates tenaciously challenged the award. By discovering missteps in the process, Pugliese Associates assisted in successfully overturning the award; temporarily retaining the contract for our client.
When the renewal procurement was rebid, Pugliese Associates monitored the process and guided our client through a successful bid package that could not be contested nor argued.
RESULT: The client currently maintains the advertising contract and continues to aggressively generate revenue for the Commonwealth.
In helping our client navigate the Commonwealth’s complex regulatory process, Pugliese Associates was able to maintain a running dialogue with key decision-makers from DEP, the House and Senate Environmental Committees, the Environmental Quality Board, and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission.
Pugliese lobbyists played a pivotal role in revising outdated regulations to make them more consistent with federal standards. One of the most important changes involved swapping out the term “infections and chemotherapeutic waste” to “regulated medical waste,” which gave the client a more streamlined way to conduct business.
From preliminary discovery meetings to moving new regulations past the goal line, Pugliese Associates assured a positive outcome for the client by remaining active and engaged the whole step of the way.