PEO Insider Issue

I’m always amused when I hear people – typically athletes or entertainers – described as “overnight sensations.” In truth, most have been toiling in obscurity for years at their chosen sport or craft until they finally catch the public’s eye. They are an overnight sensation only to those who had no idea of their work ethic and their rise, but not to those who were with them every step of the way. 

I was thinking about this when I saw the reaction to NAPEO’s testimony in July before the Ways & Means Committee Subcommittee on Oversight on the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) backlog. All at once, it seemed, we had been launched into the spotlight on Capitol Hill, before a prominent committee on an issue that is publicly prominent. A first for NAPEO. 

Overnight sensation. 

But in reality, like our friends in sports and entertainment, this was not a random lottery drawing, no stroke of luck. This was the result of many years of hard work. “The harder you work,” goes the adage, “The luckier you get.” And so we got lucky – but because of our hard work. 

The story begins a while ago with the build out of our federal government affairs program, honchoed by Thom Stohler. I covered this in July’s column, the headwinds that faced us there and that we overcame. A year or more ago, for the first time we hired an outside lobbying firm, Mehlman-Castagnetti to help us engage—with Rs and Ds alike—on Capitol Hill. At the same time, we have been slowly building our PAC. The PAC strategy tied in with our Hill strategy, as we focused our attention on the House Ways & Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. Turns out, the more contributions our PAC makes, the more friends we have on Capitol Hill. Who knew? 

Our lobbying day during PEO Capitol Summit was also part of our strategy – certainly as far as the ERTC was concerned. And scores of you turned out and made visits; moved the needle. We invested in grassroots software that enables you – and your clients – to contact your federal representatives. And so we used that, too. More accurately, you used that, and urged your clients to use it, generating hundreds of letters to the Hill, enough that we could start our own website, www.ertcdelayshurtsmallbiz.com. It was prominent in our testimony. But without you, without our clients, our story would have been far less powerful. I should also mention that in addition to bringing Mehlman on as our outside lobbying firm, we’ve doubled our in-house lobbying staff by hiring Alex Milliken, a young guy with Hill experience. He’s working under Thom Stohler’s guidance and is already wearing out the shoe leather in the halls of Congress. 

Our beefed up communications shop was also humming on all cylinders. Kerry Marshall, Evan Fallor, and Rach Komatireddy made sure we got as much mileage out of this opportunity as possible. They were ready.  

The point here is that none of this was accidental. This was all part of a strategy to grow our voice and influence and to make sure our advocacy footprint matches our industry footprint. We are engaging like never before. A favorite quote of my friend Norman Paul is that chance favors the prepared mind. July 27 was a great day for NAPEO, testifying before Congress, and the first of many great days to come – all driven by the work we have done to position ourselves for success.  

PAT CLEARY
President & CEONAPEOAlexandria, VA