15-20 years

Jim O'Brien, the founder of the firm, has been involved in Connecticut politics and government for the last 20 years. Jim began his political career in college by working as an intern on Capitol Hill. After college, Jim continued to pursue his interest in politics by working on several campaigns and political events and in 1994, Jim went to work in the Connecticut Governor's office as a Legislative Liaison. Jim helped organize the Governor's legislative agenda and his responsibilities included both editing proposed legislation as well as developing and executing a strategy to pass the legislation. He also represented the Governor's office on the Electric Deregulation Working Group, a group formed to analyze ways in which to deregulate the electric utility industry.
Upon leaving the Governor's office in 1997, Jim joined an investment firm. Also, in that year, Jim ran and was elected to the West Hartford Town Council where he served two terms. In 2004, Jim started his own government relations firm, J. O'Brien & Associates, LLC.
Jim received his B.A. in History from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1988 and his J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in 1995.

20+ years

I have obtained major regulatory incentives for trucking, rental car (Enterprise, National and Alamo) and smokeless and cigar industries. I also created a major tourism development zone for Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as being involved in tax incentives for tourism development projects in downtown Memphis, Tennessee.

H. Boyd Pettit, III is Partner and General Counsel for GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group, LLC Pettit, a practicing Attorney since 1979, served as a Democratic member to the Georgia General Assembly for five consecutive terms beginning in January, 1983. Elected to the House of Representatives, succeeding newly elected Governor Joe Frank Harris, he was named a member of the House Appropriations, Judiciary, and Industry Committees. Pettit became Secretary to the Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the Public Services and Utilities Subcommittee of House Industry. During his membership in the House, Pettit served as Georgia's representative to the Southern States Energy Board and was selected as a participant in the Leadership Georgia Class of 1987. In 1993, he joined GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group while remaining active on behalf of local governments, local education entities, public bond finance issues, and local industrial recruitment and development. In September 2000, Pettit was selected to the Georgia State Board of Transportation. He was re-elected in January, 2001 to a full five-year term. Pettit currently serves on the State Board of the Georgia Youth Science and Technology Centers and is an active member of Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church in Cartersville. Previously serving on Board of Directors of the North Metro Technical Institute Foundation, Pettit was a part of the effort to secure property, utilities, and funding for the state adult technical school. Boyd has two daughters, Dana and Bray. They reside in Cartersville, Georgia.

20+ years

J. Warren Tompkins has had an enduring impact on South Carolina politics for nearly three decades. Highly regarded as a shrewd political strategist, his advice has been sought throughout the Southeast in local, state and national races.

As a political science major at the University of South Carolina, Mr. Tompkins augmented his political education by volunteering his time and budding talents to local races, working in his first campaign in a 1974 magistrate's race. But it was his volunteer work for Strom Thurmond's 1978 Senate campaign that made people take notice. His tireless efforts on the campaign won him a position as Senator Thurmond's Statewide Coordinator of Special Events. Mr. Tompkins later served as a senior advisor to Senator Thurmond's re-election campaigns in 1984, 1990 and 1996.

His effectiveness got the attention of the South Carolina School Boards Association, where Mr. Tompkins created a legislative agenda for the Association that became one of the most efficient voices for education in the state.

In 1980, Mr. Tompkins served as the Political Director for Reagan for President during the South Carolina Primary. His advice was so valued by the Reagan/Bush Campaign during the first Republican primary in South Carolina in 1980, that he was named Executive Director for the South Carolina Reagan/Bush Campaign for the general election. He later served in the same capacity for the 1984 re-election effort and as a strategist for the 1988 Bush Presidential campaign.

A seasoned political veteran by the age of 29, Mr. Tompkins was appointed Executive Director of the South Carolina Republican Party in 1981, facing a huge deficit in the party's budget and only a small number of party faithful to help reduce that deficit. Under his leadership, the party was reorganized and fundraising took a different approach. In just 12 months, the deficit was erased and active contributors soared from less than a thousand to more than 10,000 during his tenure.

In 1984, Mr. Tompkins had his greatest impact yet on South Carolina politics. He spearheaded the South's most successful voter registration drive as more than 100,000 voters were signed up as part of a long-range plan Mr. Tompkins developed to impact legislative elections. The result? The numbers of Republican members of the South Carolina House and Senate doubled under his direction. And it was Mr. Tompkins' aggressive pursuit of fairness that resulted in the party's successful 1984 lawsuit concerning South Carolina Senate reapportionment.

In 1986, Congressman Carroll Campbell turned to Mr. Tompkins to help him become South Carolina's second Republican governor. He served as campaign manager during the election and Director for Governor Campbell's transition committee. Governor Campbell appointed him Chief of Staff, where he was a catalyst in the administration's successes, supervising a staff of more than 230 people and budgets totaling more than $91 million.

Mr. Tompkins was the chief architect in developing the administration's strategy for economic development, education reform, tax cuts, environmental protection, and government restructuring. He assisted Governor Campbell in directing more than $400-million dollars in grants for local and statewide programs, which created a blueprint for balanced growth, public safety and environmental protection.

His talent for crisis management was vital in South Carolina's recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo. As chairman of the Emergency Management Review Panel, he directed a statewide effort to develop a comprehensive plan to diminish the effects of future natural disasters in South Carolina.

Since 1991, when he started private practice with J. Warren Tompkins, Inc. Public Affairs Company (which later merged to become Tompkins & Kinard, LLC), Tompkins has successfully provided government and legislative affairs guidance to public and private agencies, political organizations and candidates, corporations and individuals.

In 1992, Mr. Tompkins served as the Senior Southern Advisor for the Bush / Quayle re-election campaign overseeing eleven states in the Southeast. A few years after, in 1994, he became a strategist for Beasley for Governor and later acted as a co-chairman for Governor David Beasley's transition committee. He served as his advisor again during Beasley's 1998 re-election campaign.

In 1996, Mr. Tompkins worked on two federal campaigns in prodigious capacity. He served as the Senior Advisor for Senator Thurmond's re-election campaign and as the Senior Southern Advisor for Dole for President. As the senior southern advisor, he oversaw thirteen southeastern states.

In 2000, Tompkins served as the Senior Advisor to George W. Bush's presidential campaign and the Chief Strategist for South Carolina's Presidential Primary. Bush's victory in the South Carolina primary is credited to saving his bid for president and set off a series of victories solidifying his nomination. After the November 7 election, he was sent to Florida to participate in the historic Florida recount. His primary responsibility was to coordinate the Overseas Absentee Ballots in the election winning Bush the presidency. He acted as Senior Advisor and Atlantic Region Chair to the Bush / Cheney successful re-election campaign in 2004.

In 2002, Tompkins was a general consultant to Lindsey Graham in his successful bid to fill the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Strom Thurmond from 1955 – 2003. In 2004, he was a Senior Advisor to DeMint for US Senate. He also served as the Sergeant at Arms for the 2004 GOP National Convention, a post he also previously served at the 2000 Convention.

In 2005, Mr. Tompkins began a second and separate venture, opening a political consulting firm with business partner Terry Sullivan. The creation of First Tuesday Strategies served as an avenue to separate policy from politics. Mr. Tompkins is currently partnered at First Tuesday Strategies with Luke Byars, former State Director to Senator Jim DeMint.

In 2008, Tompkins acted as a consultant to Senator Lindsey Graham's re-election campaign and as the Senior Southern Advisor to Romney for President.

At First Tuesday Strategies, Mr. Tompkins was a consultant to US Senator Jim DeMint's 2010 re-election campaign. He has also acted as a head consultant to various state and local level campaigns with the political consulting firm. The firm is one of the top political consulting firms in the South and has extensive experience working with earned media, social media, new media, direct mail, marketing, television production, radio production, ad buying, web video production and most notably general campaign consulting. It specializes on grassroots campaigns, political campaigns and corporate development.

Tompkins was a consultant to the Romney for President 2012 campaign.

In the 2016 Presidential Primary cycle, Tompkins managed the Conservative Solutions PAC, which was responsible for overseeing the PAC's $60 million budget assisting Senator Marco Rubio's Presidential campaign. He later served as the Executive Director of the Florida First Project PAC an independent expenditure, which was organized to assist the successful re-election efforts of Marco Rubio to the United States Senate.

Mr. Tompkins currently serves as the executive director to the Conservative Solutions Project, a 501(c)4 promoting conservative values in government.

In late 2016, Tompkins partnered with former State House Representatives Michael Thompson and Boyd Brown to form Tompkins, Thompson, & Brown, a government and public affairs firm providing government consulting and lobbying assistance on the state and federal levels.

Aside from politics, Mr. Tompkins has served on many boards throughout the state. In the past, he served on the Board of Visitors to the Medical University of South Carolina and on the Board at the Governors School for Math and Science Foundation. Currently, he serves as the Vice President of the Cockaboose Railroad Corporation and is a member of the Capital City Club Board of Directors.

Experienced in politics and government, Mr. Tompkins' network of contacts at the federal, state and local levels, coupled with an unparalleled level of expertise and insight, will produce the desired results for government, public and private agencies, political organizations, corporations, and individuals through multi-faceted campaigns addressing every aspect of client's needs.

20+ years

Russell Westerberg has served in the U.S. Army and the Idaho Legislature. As a former member of the House Revenue & Taxation Committee, Westerberg has been recognized as an industry expert in tax policy. He served as the President of Associated Taxpayers for nine years before establishing Westerberg & Associates in 1987. On behalf of his clients, Westerberg has written and secured the passage of many amendments to Idaho tax, energy, tourism, aviation, liquor, hospitality, natural resource and gambling laws.

Westerberg and his wife Diane are both licensed pilots and aircraft owners. They live in Boise, Idaho and have three grown children and nine grandchildren. Westerberg is a member of AOPA and the Idaho Aviation Association. He serves on the Board of the Governors' Cup, and is a past president of the Boise Gun Club. Both he and Diane enjoy competitive clay target shooting.

20+ years

Chad D. Robinson owner of the government relations and consulting firm, Robinson Capitol Consulting, Inc (RCC). Mr. Robinson has worked within the government relations capacity since 1999, and actively been involved in more than 25 Legislative Sessions.

Chad graduated from Shepherd College in Shepherdstown WV in 1996 with a degree in Political Science and Economics. He earned his Master's Degree from West Virginia University in 1999 with a Masters of Legal Studies.

RCC represents state and local associations and businesses in West Virginia.

Association management is one of Mr. Robinson's passions, providing leadership, legislative expertise, and helping to reach professional goals within the Association. This passion assures members are protected and succeed in professional goals and strategic growth.

Playing a key role in successful legislation, Mr. Robinson has directed lobbying efforts for the Associations and the clients he represents for 19 years. His presence at the State Capitol during the Legislative Sessions and Interim meetings has developed relationships with Legislators and staff members which successfully benefit those he represents.

Chad's experience also includes WV Senate Senior Legislative Analyst and WV Attorney General Consumer Protection agent. These positions provided him knowledge regarding professional legislation, and working with WV consumers, community organizations, businesses and local government regarding Consumer Protection.

Chad is active in his local community where he resides with his wife and 2 children and serves as Charleston WV city councilman. Chad accepts challenges head with professionalism, knowledge and expertise.

"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." -Joshua J. Martin