It’s 35 Questions with Les Munson! How tall is he? Can he really dunk a basketball? What’s his favorite Rolling Stones song? What should clients be thinking about right now?
Category: Blog
Hantavirus: What to Know for Health and Business with Life Sciences Practice Head Remy Brim, Ph.D and Advisory Board Member Deborah Birx, MD
Earlier this week, BGR Group Health and Life Sciences Practice Head Remy Brim and Advisory Board Member Deborah Birx spoke about the Hantavirus and what it means for health and business.
BGR Analytics Launches Best States for AI Investment Index, the Definitive Data-Driven Ranking of All 50 States + D.C. for AI Investment
Index Debuts at SelectUSA Investment Summit; Texas, Utah and Florida Lead Overall Rankings
WASHINGTON D.C. — BGR Analytics, the data practice of BGR Group, Washington’s premier bipartisan government affairs and public relations firm, today launched the BGR Best States for AI Investment Index — a comprehensive, data-driven ranking of all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on their readiness and attractiveness for artificial intelligence investment. The Index is the first product of its kind to apply rigorous, multi-dimensional analysis to the AI investment landscape, giving technology companies, data center developers, sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms and foreign governments the intelligence they need to make confident, data-backed AI investment decisions.
The Index is being introduced tonight at a cocktail reception co-hosted by BGR Group, Advocus Partners and gener8tor in connection with the SelectUSA Investment Summit. The reception is themed “Investing Locally to Compete Globally: Building Innovation Ecosystems & AI Ready States.” It will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., at the Belvedere Lobby Bar, Gaylord Hotel, National Harbor, Maryland.
Texas ranks first overall, followed by Utah and Florida in BGR Analytics’ inaugural Best States for AI Investment Index. California and North Carolina are tied for 4th, followed by Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, Washington, Massachusetts and Maryland.
“The AI economy is reordering American competitiveness state by state, and the decisions companies and investors make today about where to deploy capital will shape the landscape for decades,” said Frank Ahrens, Head of BGR Analytics. “Until now, those decisions have too often been made on the basis of conventional wisdom, gut instinct, or incomplete data. The BGR Best States for AI Investment Index changes that, delivering more than 100 verified data points across five pillars to cut through the noise and give investors the confidence to act.”
Five Pillars. 14 Indicator Groups. 100+ Data Categories.
The Index evaluates all 51 jurisdictions across five core pillars: 1) Dynamic Economy, 2) Business Climate, 3) Data-Center Readiness — encompassing Research & Startup Ecosystem, Data Infrastructure, Regulatory Friendliness, Energy Abundance & Affordability, and Synergistic Advantage — 4) Workforce Advantage and 5) Quality of Place. Each indicator is normalized and scored before applying group and pillar weights to produce an aggregate total score and ranking. Rankings reflect objective data only; no state surveying was conducted.
The Index also produces specialized sub-rankings, including Top States for Physical AI Investment — led by Texas, Florida and Georgia — and Top States for Knowledge AI Investment — led by California, Texas and North Carolina — enabling investors to pinpoint the best states for their specific deployment needs.
Built for Investors and State Governments Alike
For investors, the Index serves as a decision-support tool to identify optimal locations for AI-related capital deployment, validate or challenge site-selection assumptions, and build a data-backed narrative for stakeholders on where — and why — AI investment should flow.
For state governments, the Index shows exactly how each state performs across the 14 categories that matter most to AI investors — from data center infrastructure to talent pipelines — enabling state economic development officials to sharpen their investment pitch, target their strengths, and close competitive gaps.
About BGR Analytics
BGR Analytics® is the data practice of BGR Group, established in 2023. Powered by BGR’s Data Science team and led by Principal Frank Ahrens, BGR Analytics uses proprietary methodologies and data from multiple authoritative sources to produce rankings, risk assessments, and actionable intelligence that give clients a competitive edge. BGR Analytics products include the BGR Impact Index; the BGR Energy Security Index and the BGR Best States for Asian Investment Index. More information is available at bgrdc.com/bgr-analytics.
About BGR Group
Founded in 1991 and celebrating its 35th anniversary, BGR Group is the leading bipartisan government affairs, public relations and analytics firm in Washington D.C., with offices in Austin, Atlanta, Nashville and Phoenix and extensive business relationships around the world. BGR’s clients include Fortune 500 companies, foreign governments, trade associations, non-profit organizations, academic institutions and coalitions. More information is available at bgrdc.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Frank Ahrens
Head of BGR Analytics
BGR Group
FAhrens@bgrpr.com
(202) 352-4227
35 Questions, Ep. 4: BGR Founding Partner Ed Rogers
In our latest installment of #35Questions, BGR Group Founding Partner Ed Rogers answers burning questions about the origins of BGR, his first job AND his dream job (golf is a theme), and a bonus Edism!
State Attorneys General Working Group
BGR Group is excited to announce our State Attorneys General Working Group!
Led by Halie Hughes, Labriah Lee Holt, Nicole Watson, Chad Horrell, Loren Monroe, and William Crozer, BGR’s bipartisan team provides the strategic intelligence and deep relationships, including Republican Attorneys General Association, Democratic Attorneys General Association, National Association of Attorneys General, and Attorneys General Alliance, necessary to navigate high-stakes enforcement and policy risks.
In state capitals across the country, we’re helping clients stay ahead of risks, shape policy outcomes, and protect their interests before a crisis hits.
Click below to learn more about BGR’s State AG Working Group, sitting attorneys general, and key upcoming elections!
Webinar: What’s Next for Venezuela?
In case you missed it! Watch BGR Group’s International and Trade experts Lester Munson, Amb. Doug Lute, and Kirsten Madison share their perspective on the evolving situation in Venezuela.
Daniel F. Runde Joins BGR Group as Senior Advisor
Washington, D.C. (June 12, 2025) – BGR Group, Washington, D.C.’s, premier bipartisan lobbying and public relations firm, announced that Daniel F. Runde has joined the firm as a Senior Advisor. In his role, Dan will work across the firm to advise clients on a variety of challenges in Washington and beyond. His background includes extensive experience at entities including the State Department, the Development Finance Corporation, the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank, the World Bank and the regional Multilateral Development Banks. He also brings depth of knowledge regarding Latin America, Africa, Central Asia and Ukraine.
“Dan brings deep national security and foreign policy expertise to our firm,” BGR Chairman and CEO Bob Wood said. “He is a trusted advisor to government and businesses given his extensive experience at critical agencies including the Export Import Bank, State Department, and World Bank extremely well. His expertise will be a tremendous asset to our clients and the firm.”
Prior to joining BGR Group, Dan was a senior vice president, director of the Project on Prosperity and Development (PPD), and held the William A. Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a leading global think tank. He remains a Senior Advisor at CSIS. He also served as the acting director for the CSIS Americas Program from 2020-2022. His work has been oriented around U.S. leadership in building a more democratic and prosperous world. He was as an architect of the BUILD Act, contributed to the reauthorization of the U.S. EXIM Bank in 2018, and was an architect of Prosper Africa, a U.S. government initiative to deepen the United States’ commercial and development engagement in Africa.
Dan has also held leadership roles at the State Department and the World Bank Group. Earlier in his career, he worked in commercial banking at Citibank in Argentina and in investment banking at Alex. Brown & Sons.
Dan holds the Officer’s Cross in the Order of Isabel la Católica, a Spanish civil order. He is a Commander in the Order of Rio Branco, a Brazilian civil order and has been officially recognized by the governments of Colombia and Ecuador for deepening ties with those countries. Fluent in Spanish, he graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College and holds a master’s in public policy from Harvard University.
BGR 2025 Mid-Year Session Wrap
With more than half of the state legislatures finishing their 2025 sessions states are adjusting budget outlooks due to changes to federal funding streams while driving transformative policies in education, health care, technology, infrastructure, and energy. State actions are increasingly setting precedents that are shaping the national policy landscape. In this Mid-Year Wrap, the bipartisan BGR State and Local Advocacy team provides a mid-year snapshot of the major bills that have crossed the finish line so far.
State Policy Brief – Top 5 State Impacts from President Trump’s First 100 Days
In the latest State Policy Brief, BGR Group State and Local Practice Heads William Crozer and Loren Monroe examine the Top 5 State Impacts from President Trump’s First 100 Days and the policy battles that lie ahead.
Rescission Overview
Reports indicate the Trump administration is preparing a “rescissions package” to send to Congress. What is a rescission and how does the process work?