"Change is one constant in life" -- it’s a cliché that certainly rings true these days, especially in the world of business. And with proper preparation, change is good. Not long ago, personal computers and cell phones were luxury items. Now that we have entered the new millennium, they are the essential tools with which we communicate and optimize productivity. Pagers and voice mail have replaced answering services, even the fax machine can sometimes seem slow and cumbersome compared to e-mail. Business clips along at blinding speeds, unattainable just a few years ago.

But along with bringing the advancements that have made doing business easier, change has also swept in a series of difficulties and setbacks. Shifting government regulations, increasingly technical legal issues, competition, health care reform, taxes, negative media coverage, and market fluctuations can make doing business today complicated and often unpleasant. State government is changing also. The bad news is that it is sometimes difficult to know what to do or when and how to initiate government relations strategies.

The good news is that we at McMahan Winstead can help.

The principals of McMahan Winstead have over fifty combined years of experience in government relations on the local, state, and national levels. McMahan Winstead offers a unique package of services to help you communicate better with the government officials who make the decisions that affect your business on a day-to-day basis. We have the experience, the knowledge, the creativity, and the talent to help you turn your problems into solutions.

Why McMahan Winstead......We are a valuable resource to legislators. Over two thousand bills are filed during each legislative session. Without sufficient staff and resources, there is no way every legislator can be an expert on every issue. McMahan Winstead’s deep understanding of complex, politically sensitive issues has made us invaluable to legislators on issues which affect our clients. Through our personal relationships with people in government, McMahan Winstead has unequaled access to, and rapport with, Tennessee’s most powerful decision makers. This is something we continue to work on day in and day out, throughout the year. Not only do we personally know every legislator, we also know their spouses, children, friends, and business associates. These are the people we work with and socialize with. There is no substitute for the bonds that lifelong relationships produce.

McMahan Winstead is very proud of our reputation. Legislators know they can trust us to deliver accurate information on complex issues and maintain the high standard of ethics and honesty necessary to help them make tough legislative decisions. We are well versed in the ethics laws dealing with lobbyist campaign contributions and legislator entertainment. We take compliance with these laws very seriously, and we realize that we are a reflection of our clients. At McMahan Winstead, we believe once a person’s trust is lost, it can never be regained. We make certain our information is accurate, and if it changes, we make sure we are the first to relay those changes back to the legislature.

Finally, the reason you should select McMahan Winstead as your government relations firm is quite simple. We work hard. You can interview the top five or ten lobbyists in the state, and every one of them will have close relationships, and most will have good reputations. Government relations is like most other businesses -- hard work gets the job done. We simply will not be out-worked -- ever.

We encourage you to call the references we have provided for you -- or anyone else in government who you feel can give an accurate assessment of our abilities. Then call us, and let’s get to work.