Gaffney, Bennett and Associates
Gaffney, Bennett and Associates is a law firm that specializes in lobbying headquartered in New Britain, Connecticut. They are the largest lobbying firm in the state of Connecticut.
Type | Private company |
---|---|
Industry | Lobbying |
Founded | 1984 |
Headquarters | New Britain, CT, United States |
Key people | Jay Malcynsky and Brian Gaffney |
Products | State lobbying, Federal lobbying, and public relations |
Website | http://www.gbact.com/GB/ |
History
Gaffney, Bennett and Associates was founded in the mid 1980s by Jay Malcynsky[1] and Brian Gaffney in New Britain, Connecticut.[2] The firm has been heavily involved with representing big companies seeking state aid or tax breaks to expand their presence in Connecticut.[2]
In the late 1990s the firm represented the New England Patriots in negotiations with the State of Connecticut to move the Patriots to Hartford.[2]
In 2009 Gaffney, Bennett and Associates made twice as much as the second largest lobbying firm.[3] In 2011 they made over $4.7 million from lobbying services, again more than twice as much as the second largest lobbying firm.[2]
In 2012 Vernon Mayor George F. Apel ended the town contract with Gaffney, Bennett and Associates which the town had on retainer since 2009.[4]
In 2015 Gaffney, Bennett and Associates revenue was three times that of the second largest lobbying company in the state.[5]
Gaffney Bennett Public Relations
In 2002 Gaffney, Bennett and Associates launched a PR Services arm called Gaffney Bennett Public Relations (GBPR) to handle corporate positioning, media relations, crisis communications, brand management, and cause-related marketing for existing and new clients.[6] GBPR has offices in Connecticut and New York City.[7] In 2011 GBPR launched a line of a la carte PR services called "the Press Release Shop."[8] In 2019 GBPR hired North Carolina based Ted Novin to split his time between their New York office and clients in North Carolina. Novin had previously been a spokesperson for the National Rifle Association of America and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.[9]
Major clients
- City of Bridgeport[10]
- City of Stamford[11]
- Connecticut Taxi Drivers Association[5]
- Tomasso Brothers, Inc.[12]
- Walmart[13]
- Connecticut Association for the Performing Arts[13]
- Eversource[14]
External links
- Website www
.gbact .com /GB / - Gaffney Bennett Public Relations gbpr
.com - 2013 client disclosure docs
.boardofreps .org /committees /legrules /2013 /items /lr28064 /lr28064 _response .pdf
References
- "Jay Malcynsky". ballotpedia.org. ballotpedia. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- Bordonaro, Greg. "Influence isn't a dirty word". hartfordbusiness.com. Hartford Business Journal. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- "2009 Connecticut State of Lobbying Report" (PDF). ct.gov. State of Connecticut. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- Carlson, Suzanne. "Apel cleans house; gets rid of lobbyist, public relations aide". journalinquirer.com. The Journal Inquirer. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- Pazniokas, Mark. "Uber, taxis line up lobbyists for Connecticut battle". ctmirror.org. CT Mirror. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- "Gaffney Bennet announces creation of PR service specialist". prweek.com. PR Week. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- "About Gaffney Bennett Public Relations". gbpr.com. Gaffney Bennett Public Relations. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- "Gaffney Bennett Public Relations Launches the Press Release Shop". businesswire.com. GBPR. Archived from the original on November 29, 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- Cooper, Joe. "N. Britain's Gaffney Bennett adds former NRA spokesman, expands East Coast reach". hartfordbusiness.com. The Hartford Business Journal. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- Lockheart, Brian. "Finch sends new lobbying firm to Capitol". ctpost.com. The Connecticut Post. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- King, Kate. "Stamford officials approve state lobbying contract". stamfordadvocate.com. Stamford Advocate. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- "Tomasso Brothers, Inc". gbpr.com. Gaffney Bennett Public Relations. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- Lender, Jon. "Jon Lender: It's audit time after $33M in influence efforts so far in 2019 by lobbyists who cram Capitol, form 'gauntlet' by restrooms". www.courant.com. Hartford Courant. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- and Will Healey, Eric Bedner. "Lots of spending energy at the Capitol". www.journalinquirer.com. Journal Inquirer. Retrieved 3 December 2019.