Included in this week’s BGR Review: Recognition as a Top Lobbying and Standout Firm from Bloomberg Government, BGR’s Spring Quarterly Outlook, the premiere of BGR’s 35 Questions series with Erskine Wells, an introduction to BGR’s newest team members, Charlie Chapman and Connor Dunn, BGR’s new partnership with Tunnl, this week’s newsletters, and more!
Author: Rae Parsons
35 Questions, Ep. 1: BGR President Erskine Wells
As BGR Group marks its 35th anniversary, we are looking back and ahead. Learn more about BGR President Erskine Wells in the first of our 35 Questions series as he discusses everything from Pearl Jam to baseball practice to chicken salad!
BGR Group Partners with Tunnl to Advance AI-Powered Advocacy, Expand Offering for Clients
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 17, 2026) – BGR Group, Washington, D.C.’s premier bipartisan lobbying and public relations firm, today announced a strategic partnership with Tunnl, a leading audience intelligence platform, to further strengthen its advocacy and communications offerings through advanced data, targeting, and measurement capabilities.
The partnership brings AI-powered audience intelligence into BGR Group’s bipartisan advocacy offering, enabling clients to better understand and engage the audiences that shape policy outcomes. By integrating research, targeting, and execution into a single workflow, BGR can deliver even more precise, coordinated, and effective advocacy campaigns across federal, state, and local environments.
“Effective advocacy must constantly evolve. Research, strategy, and execution must be increasingly integrated. Tunnl helps to achieve that integration,” said Bob Wood, Chairman and CEO of BGR Group. “Tunnl adds a powerful AI-driven data and technology layer to our work, allowing us to efficiently deliver more focused campaigns that help clients achieve results in an increasingly complex communications environment.”
“The most effective advocacy campaigns today are built with an intelligence edge, a real-time understanding of audiences that connects research, targeting, and measurement in a way that amplifies every other asset a firm brings to the table,” said Sara Fagan, Co-Founder and CEO of Tunnl. “Partnering with BGR means their clients get that edge — AI-powered, connected campaigns that deliver more coordinated, more sustained impact across every channel that matters.”
Tunnl’s platform is built on a proprietary data foundation that includes voter, consumer, and professional datasets, along with more than a decade of insight into political behavior, issue salience, and persuasion dynamics. This approach goes beyond traditional demographic targeting to incorporate attitudinal insights, media consumption patterns, and indicators of influence and engagement, giving BGR clients a more complete and actionable view of key audiences.
Through this integration, BGR clients can activate campaigns seamlessly across programmatic, social, connected TV, and other major channels. The result is consistent, reinforcing messaging delivered to priority audiences across platforms, improving both efficiency and impact.
As part of the partnership, BGR will incorporate Tunnl’s advanced audience intelligence capabilities into its campaign strategies — helping to identify and understand the networks and communities that shape how policy issues are framed and discussed. This allows BGR to complement its direct advocacy with tailored communications that address the broader environment surrounding key policy decisions.
For more information, please contact Jo Maney at jmaney@bgrpr.com.
BGR Group Named 2025 Standout Firm by Bloomberg Government
As we mark our 35th anniversary in 2026, BGR Group is proud to once again be recognized by Bloomberg Government as a Top Lobbying and Standout Firm! This reflects the hard work of our bipartisan team and our commitment to client success year in and year out! Thank you to our clients for placing your trust in us!
BGR Op-Ed: Iran’s Stryker Hack Shows Why Trump’s Cyber Strategy Matters
Featured in Real Clear Defense, BGR Advisory Board Member Heather Nauert examines the Iranian Stryker hack and why a proactive cyber strategy is critical to national security.
BGR Review – March 20th
Included in this week’s BGR Review: Continuing coverage of the midterm elections with a recap of the Illinois primary, an introduction to BGR’s newest Defense Vice President, Max Richards, celebrating Women’s History Month with Be the Brand, and this week’s newsletters.
The BGR Brief – The View From Asia with Ed Rogers
Founding Partner Ed Rogers just returned from the Genron NPO Tokyo Conference with BGR Advisory Board Member Gen. Keith Kellogg. In this week’s BGR Brief, Ed shares his boots on the ground perspective on the shifting dynamics in Asia, from energy security concerns to the massive growth potential for American companies in Southeast Asia.
BGR Welcomes Max Richards as Vice President
Washington, D.C. (March 9, 2026) – BGR Group, Washington, D.C.’s premier bipartisan lobbying and public relations firm, announced today that Max Richards has joined the Defense and Critical Technologies Practice as a Vice President. Max will work with clients on a wide range of defense-related issues including AI, space, cybersecurity and technology.
“We are proud to welcome Max to the team,” Defense and Critical Technologies Practice Head Dan Greenwood said. “During his time on Capitol Hill, Max was involved in some of the biggest policy debates impacting the defense and space industries. He brings a breadth of knowledge and experience that will benefit our clients and the firm.”
Max previously served as Legislative Director for Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO). He previously served as the Senator’s Military Legislative Assistant (MLA) to advise Senator Schmitt as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He also served in key roles for Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Max also worked as a Legislative Assistant for Chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Representative Frank Lucas (R-OK).
In April 2021, Max completed coursework and graduated from a master’s program in International Security Studies with a concentration in cybersecurity policy at a U.S. Army base in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The program was a partnership between the German University of the Armed Forces Munich and the U.S. Department of Defense. Course participants were active-duty officers from the Army, Marines, Air Force, and German Military. While pursuing his master’s, Max was selected as a fellow by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, where he received a scholarship to study foreign policy in Germany.
A Texas-native, Max was appointed by then-Governor Perry to serve a one-year term as Student Regent at the University of Texas Board of Regents where he worked with former Admiral William McRaven in McRaven’s role as Chancellor of the UT System.
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The BGR Brief – Appropriations Update with Don Andres
It’s go time for FY 2027 appropriations, but DHS remains shutdown. BGR Vice President Don Andres looks at how the House is moving up its deadlines, the reality of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and why passing spending bills in an election year is such a heavy lift.
BGR Review – March 6th
Included in this week’s BGR Review: Kicking off the midterm election cycle by recapping the Texas and North Carolina primaries, introducing BGR PR’s newest team member, Ally Korpela, the latest on Operation Epic Fury, events to watch out for, and this week’s BGR newsletters.