Andrew Blackburn Email and Phone Number

Responsible for managing all government relations activities for a large Chamber of Commerce in the second-fastest growing metropolitan area in the US, in the state ranked #1 for doing business.Lobbies municipal, county, state, and federal officials for improvements for our area quality of life, business climate, and opportunities for individuals and businesses to succeed in new and proven ways. Interfaces with elected officials and staffers at every level to share information and create new ways for the government and private businesses to collaborate together. Topics have included water/sewer infrastructure, transportation/transit projects, zoning reform, education infrastructure, and public safety.Managed two successful bond campaigns in the 2022 election cycle: a City of Raleigh parks and greenways bond totally $350 million, and a Wake County Public School System school construction and renovation bond for $530.7 million. Recruited and maintained coalitions of like minded individuals, organizations, and businesses who wanted to insure investments in area quality of life and education improvements to ensure equal access to top of the line learning environments. Managed a team of staffers and consultants to draft campaign plans, raise funds for the plan, and react as the campaigns played out and changes were needed. Interfaced with elected officials, area VIPs, media, and the voting public to push positive messaging and ensure the electorate knew the benefits of voting yes for both bonds.Plans and executes events ranging from intimate meetings with newly elected leaders to bringing175+ elected and business leaders to other cities to discover best practices that can be brought back to the Triangle region. The focus of our events is to create opportunities for the business community and elected officials to come together to discuss pressing issues and form relationships that speed the decision making process.

Association executive managing a 650+ member trade organization spanning two counties and eight municipalities. Responsible for managing a team providing services to real estate professionals across a variety of roles. Primary initiatives include strategic planning, leadership development, updating financial processes and procedures, enhanced methods of communication with external and internal audiences, and effective government relations strategies. Manages a Board of Directors, ten committees, and numerous issue-specfic task forces. Primary correspondent to county and city governments as the local expert on real estate, and lead contact for interface with the California and National Association of Realtors.

Project manager focusing on economic development and organizational efficiency. Efforts included strategic alignment of projects with overall organization mission, workflow optimization, and metrics analytics. Economic development included merging multiple data inputs into useful trends to determine what action would benefit area merchants and businesses.

Project manager focusing on economic development and organizational efficiency. Economic development included measuring and combining useful metrics to determine the economic health of a major transit and business corridor, maximizing the impact of area initiatives, and coordinating advocacy efforts to benefit the local economy. Organizational efforts included strategic alignment of projects with overall operational mission, streamlining processes, and managing contractors and interns on economic and placemaking efforts. Worked with area businesses and universities to overcome obstacles from the novel Coronavirus and created best practices to keep students and customers safe while helping businesses remain solvent.

Residential real estate expert on Wake County's appointed Board to review and adjust residential property values resulting from the 2020 property tax reassessment. Reviewed citizen and business appeals of property values, listened to appeals, subpoenaed information necessary to said cases, considered evidence presented to the Board, and deliberated with fellow members to reach a verdict.

Managed all aspects of government and public relations on behalf of a 7,000+ trade association covering Wake and Harnett counties. Lobbied on behalf of property rights and Realtor interests geared toward municipal, county, state, and federal officials. Utilized PAC fundraising and independent expenditure campaigns to elect preferred elected officials, and bolstered existing relationships to benefit the industry. Informed membership of legislative priorities through policy analysis and various outreach methods to encourage participation in advocacy efforts.

Managed all communications to and from the office of the Assistant Secretary. Drafted documents sent on behalf of the Assistant Secretary; intended audiences including Office of the Governor, General Assembly, other government agencies, and general public. Planned and tracked long term projects within DES including workflow reporting policies and procedures, internal fiscal reporting guidelines, and a multi ­state consortium to re­tool the unemployment process both internally and externally.

Represented clients at the North Carolina General Assembly and worked with elected officials on pertinent legislation. Drafted white papers on topics of interest for both SSG staff and client organizations. Tracked ongoing legislation and analyzed areas of opportunity. Networked with other lobbyists, legislative and government staff, and persons of interest to maximize knowledge on topics of interest. Coordinated with client organizations to educate their membership of ongoing legislative efforts and participation opportunities. Tracked PAC income and expenses and generated fiscal reports on an ongoing basis.