Influence Whither The Wexler Group? BY KATE ACKLEY eral manager Dale Snape. “We are there at the issues of the moment.” Cruising down the halls of The Wexler The firm recently brought on Adam Group, you’re likely to bump into some Eisgrau, who was legislative counsel at characters with unusual résumés and the American Library Association, to hobbies. There’s the former congressman specialize in privacy and new economy whose passion for policy is seriously issues. At a more senior level, the firm rivaled by the one he has for driving race nabbed Robert Healy, who spent the last cars. There’s the star lobbyist who was eight years heading up the Washington once an associate publisher at Rolling office of the Atlantic Richfield Co., now Stone. And finally, there’s the musical a part of the BP Amoco Corp. Healy, theater veteran who’ll break into song on who begins in September, has already behalf of a client. secured for Wexler a contract with BP There are a few people, though, you Amoco. won’t see anymore. Gail Harrison, a “Bob is a great opportunity for the founding member of the lobby shop, firm,” says Walker. “He is one of the went to Shandwick Washington last major players, and is an active player in month. The firm also said good-bye to the Democratic Party.” Mark MacCarthy, who went in-house for Walker also says MacCarthy’s depar- Visa U.S.A. Inc. And most recently, Karl ture works out to the firm’s advantage, as Saliba decided to pack up after five years has been the case with others who have and go it alone, taking with him a slice left for corporate clients and referred of the Burger King Corp. account. work back to Wexler. Some outside observers of The Wexler Finally, Walker and Snape say the firm Group say the firm lacks direction and is in serious negotiations with a senior- is too dependent on its founder and top level Republican politico, a deal that rainmaker, 70-year-old Democratic oper- should be finalized within two months. ative Anne Wexler. In January of this year, Walker, a GOP “The Wexler Group is a firm that is congressman from Pennsylvania for 20 not quite sure where it’s going,” says a years, replaced Anne Wexler as chair- lobbyist at a competing firm. man and CEO, though Wexler still chairs Further, some insiders predict there the executive committee. might be room for Wexler chairman and “Anne wanted to spend less time on CEO Robert Walker in a Bush admin- doing the day-to-day stuff,” says Walker, istration. “That would be good [for the sitting next to the fireplace in his office, firm in the] long term,” says a lobbyist the walls of which are laden with pic- from another shop. “But painful in the tures of space shuttles. “I’m beginning to short term.” understand why,” he jokes. But those within the firm downplay Walker, who was chairman of the the recent departures as just the ebb and House Science Committee—and giddily flow of business and discount obser- reports that astronauts including Moon- vations that the future is less than cer- lander Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin occasional- tain. They say the firm remains stable ly pop in to say hello—handles a mixture and strong, with a roster of health care of client work, contract activities, person- and other clients that have long stood nel matters, and long-term firm planning. by them. They expect their $8 million- Most of the clients he’s brought in have plus revenue in 1999 to grow this year, some connection to science and tech- though by less than $1 million. nology, including the Lockheed Martin “We have the expertise in government Corp. and Dreamtime Inc., an Internet and in energy, transportation, health care, company that works with NASA. and foreign affairs and trade,” says gen- Walker, who at 57 still races his Formula 2000 car, also draws on his adds that the firm must bring on other love of automobiles. He does work strong, smart people to retain clients. for longtime Wexler Group client the The firm wants to be considered a General Motors Corp. and is active on major new-economy player, and Snape the Automobile Manufacturers Alliance notes that longtime energy clients account. remain at the core of the practice. Its for- Lobbying, like driving a race car, says midable health care and biotechnology Walker, requires “absolute concentra- practice is headed by Berry and Jody tion” on what is directly in front of you Hoffman. Clients include health care and, more important, what’s on the hori- provider PacifiCare Health Systems and zon. the Immunex Corp., whose biggest issue The future of the shop, much like its is trying to get an arthritis drug, Enbrel, past, seems to rest on Anne Wexler, one covered by Medicaid. of Washington’s top powerbrokers. “We came for Anne,” says Valoree She got her start in politics volun- Dowell, vice president for corporate teering on Democratic campaigns, then communications for Immunex, who is worked her way into paid positions. She charged with hiring outside consultants, served as President Jimmy Carter’s liai- “and stayed for all three.” Aside from son with the business community fol- trade groups like BIO and PhRMA, lowing a stint as an associate publisher Immunex relies solely on The Wexler of Rolling Stone magazine. Since then, Group. she has earned a reputation as a master Walker reports that more than half of of coalition building and principal rain- the firm’s clients have stayed with it for maker for her firm. five years or more. “Wexler has a unique understanding “We have a reputation for stability and of the business community and poli- service and happy clients,” he says. tics and how to translate the two,” says The factors that used to set Wexler Snape, who joined the firm in 1982. apart, though—women-owned, biparti- “She’s been a terrific mentor to both san, specializing in coalitions—are no men and women. She has a long history longer unique. of empowering and bringing out the best “We were unique in offering coalition in them.” building,” notes Harrison. But “over the Says the firm’s health care practice years, this field has become more com- leader, Cynthia Berry: “Anne’s style is to petitive as many public affairs firms are lead by example.” now competing to meet clients’ demands And also by her stories, says Berry. No for these services.” one has stories like Anne Wexler. “There Coalition work is also labor intensive, were times when she was at meetings in and while it may be high-profile work men’s-only clubs where there were no —thus leading to more business—it’s ladies’ bathrooms, and she’d have to run not the most profitable. around to find one,” says Berry. “Can “There’s a lot of competition,” says you imagine? She just shrugged it off.” Snape, who says the firm is still commit- The Wexler Group was formed in ted to coalition work despite Harrison’s 1981 as Wexler and Associates, when departure. The firm is, for example, run- Wexler, Harrison, and Bob Schule left ning a coalition of 650 entities that sup- the Carter White House. port hydroelectric licensing reform. Joel One of the few women-owned lob- Malina, who worked under Harrison, is bying firms, Wexler’s shop also tried heading up the effort. a bipartisan business model back in Malina joined Wexler in 1993 during 1983, long before it was in fashion, the fight over the North American Free when she brought on Reagan aide Nancy Trade Agreement, an important win for Reynolds. the group and a time that staffers remem- “Making the partnership with Nancy ber for the “war room” atmosphere at the Reynolds established us as a very solid office in a historic, if rickety, F Street bipartisan firm with a preponderance of building. women,” says Harrison. Wexler sold the Malina is a perfect example of the firm to Hill & Knowlton in 1991, but she characters at the firm. A New York- has retained independence, and her pres- based actor for six years before joining ence remains a big draw for clients. Wexler as an intern, Malina says he tired “I think people call knowing they get of doing the same performances over Anne in the bargain,” says Snape, who and over again. He hasn’t let his talent go unused, though. In 1997, he wrote and performed—along with his lobbying colleagues—songs and skits at a meeting of Burger King franchisees. To the tune of “Officer Krupke” from “West Side Story,” Malina sang: “Dear Senator Max Baucus/I wanted you to know/This mini- mum-wage ruckus/Is just a lot of blow.” Though he likes his job, Malina—who like everyone else earns a base salary and can get bonuses for new business as well as handling existing clients—says he’s a Democrat and would find a “full Republican town hard to deal with.” In fact, some outsiders have speculated that if the GOP holds both chambers and adds the White House this November, Wexler might take that as an opportunity to slow down some. “At this stage in her career, I can’t see that she’s going to want to reinvent herself,” says a lobbyist at a competing outfit. But Walker and Snape say they see the firm as fairly diversified when it comes to revenue. And like Wexler, who spent part of the month of July on vacation in Mexico, they say she’s nowhere near retirement.