Author: jboyd

  • For Fourth Straight Year, Bullpen Strategy Group Named To Inc. 5000 List Of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the fourth year in a row, Inc. Magazine has recognized Bullpen Strategy Group (BSG) on its annual Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Founded seven years ago, BSG continues to experience dynamic growth with nearly 60 professionals working across three offices in Washington, DC, Dallas, and London.

    “We’re incredibly proud to make the Inc. 5000 for the fourth straight year – a milestone that reflects the dedication of our team and the lasting trust our clients place in us,” said BSG CEO Joe Pounder. “BSG continues to evolve, and we’re excited to keep building on this momentum as we deepen our investments in AI-powered products like BSG Raptor and Rotunda and expand the ways we help clients navigate an increasingly complex landscape.”

    This year’s Inc. 5000 recognizes a new class of companies redefining what growth looks like. From AI and advanced manufacturing to healthcare, consumer products, and professional services, these businesses are expanding their impact, creating jobs and proving that entrepreneurial ambition continues to fuel the U.S. economy. Among the 5,000 companies on the list, the median three-year revenue growth rate was 130%, and those companies have collectively added more than 627,208 jobs to the U.S. economy over the past three years.

    “Every company on the Inc. 5000 has a story of perseverance, smart decision making, and a refusal to sit still,” said Mike Hofman, editor-in-chief of Inc. “Their growth reflects more than strong financial performance–it reflects creativity, resilience, and the customer focus required to build companies that make a lasting impact. We congratulate all honorees on this significant achievement.”

    For the full list, company profiles, and a searchable database by industry and location, visit: www.inc.com/inc5000.

    About Bullpen Strategy Group

    Bullpen Strategy Group (BSG)is a strategic advisory firm that helps clients solve problems, grow, and manage risk. We provide critical insights to inform our clients’ strategies and deliver solutions including strategic counsel and communications, research and analysis, media intelligence, and AI-powered technology. BSG’s clients include Fortune 500 companies, leading law firms, major industry associations, and national coalitions. Our team of more than 50 professionals works across offices in Washington, DC, Dallas, and London.

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  • BSG Announces 5 New Hires, 13 Promotions & Julia Portela As New Kyber Research Leader

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bullpen Strategy Group (BSG) today announced five new hires and 13 promotions across its Communications, Research & Analysis, and Media Intelligence practices, including a new leader for BSG subsidiary Kyber Research. This is the largest slate of promotions in the history of the firm, which now has nearly 60 professionals working across three offices in Washington, DC, Dallas, and London.

    BSG’s new hires include:

    • Ene Cloninger joins BSG as Executive Assistant to Founder and CEO, Joe Pounder. Most recently, Ene worked for Cradlepoint, an Ericsson subsidiary, where she supported the company’s Chief Product Officer.
    • Asher Marr joins BSG as a Senior Associate in the Communications Practice. Asher most recently served as Media Relations Coordinator at the Republican National Committee.
    • David Nelson joins BSG as a Director in the Media Intelligence Practice. A Captain in the Alaska Army National Guard and a two-term member of the Alaska State Legislature, David previously worked in defense contracting and the U.S. Senate. 
    • Ella Pounder joins BSG as an Associate in the Media Intelligence Practice. She recently graduated on an accelerated track from Virginia Commonwealth University.
    • Bram Rawlings joins BSG subsidiary Look Ahead Strategies as an Associate. He most recently served as a research intern at the Institute of World Politics.

    BSG further announced that Julia Portela has been promoted to lead the firm’s public records and FOIA subsidiary, Kyber Research. Julia is a seasoned research expert with more than a decade of experience in public affairs and political consulting. 

    BSG’s new promotions include:

    “This year’s set of new hires and promotions exemplify our commitment to investing in BSG’s people to expand service areas and better serve our clients,” said BSG Founder and CEO Joe Pounder. “We’re proud of their continued professional development, and look forward to a strong second half of 2026.”

    About Bullpen Strategy Group

    Bullpen Strategy Group (BSG)is a strategic advisory firm that helps clients solve problems, grow, and manage risk. We provide critical insights to inform our clients’ strategies and deliver solutions including strategic counsel and communications, research and analysis, media intelligence, and AI-powered technology. BSG’s clients include Fortune 500 companies, leading law firms, major industry associations, and national coalitions. Our team of more than 50 professionals works across offices in Washington, DC, Dallas, and London.

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  • BSG Partner Michael Zona Op-Ed in The Wall Street Journal: “CEOs, Get Ready to Be Subpoenaed”

    This week, BSG Partner Michael Zona wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal advising C-Suite executives to be prepared for increased oversight and investigation activity in the next Congress:

    American corporations have spent the past two years cultivating relationships with the Trump administration. If Democrats reclaim the House or Senate next year, those relationships could come under congressional scrutiny.

    Axios recently reported that House and Senate Democrats are discussing coordinated investigations—including subpoenas—into companies, colleges and law firms that cooperated with the administration. Politico reported that firms seen as close to the administration are hiring Democratic lobbyists and preparing for scrutiny. The message from Democrats isn’t subtle: Cooperation with the administration may be grounds for inquiry.

    Congressional investigations always intensify after power shifts. Between 2019 and 2021, after Democrats took the House, it held more than 405 oversight hearings and submitted more than 1,318 requests for information. Democrats dropped the word “government” from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Then-Chairman Elijah Cummings said that reflected “our true jurisdiction, which covers both government and the private sector.”

    Read the full WSJ op-ed HERE.

  • BSG’s Public Records Advantage: How We’re Using AI to Find What Others Miss

    Most firms treat public records as a last resort. At BSG, we treat them as a first-mover advantage.

    Public records — court records, tax filings, government documents, and data that state and federal agencies are legally required to disclose — are among the most underutilized intelligence tools in public affairs. At BSG, our public records research program was active in all 50 states in 2025. In reality, this is a capability that very few firms in public affairs can claim, and one that’s becoming more powerful by the day as we integrate AI into every step of the process.

    Here’s what that looks like in practice:

    RaptorAI — BSG’s proprietary AI platform — is now doing work that used to require hours of manual effort. It drafts public records requests, monitoring news content in real time, flagging stories that signal a public records opportunity our clients should be acting on. And it reviews our own research reports, identifying information that may be dated and flagging records that are worth refreshing or pursuing for the first time.

    The result is a program that doesn’t just respond to the news cycle — it anticipates it.

    Public records work has always been about patience and precision. You have to know what to ask for, who to ask, and when to execute. Miss any of those, and you’re either empty-handed or behind the curve.

    AI doesn’t change that calculus — it accelerates it. BSG’s RaptorAI platform helps our team move from insight to action faster, draft tighter and more targeted requests, and ensure we’re not leaving records on the table because a research report was filed six months ago and never revisited.

    The firms winning in public affairs in 2026 won’t just have better messaging. They’ll have better insights and information. That starts with knowing what’s out there — and having the systems to go get it.

    BSG has built those systems. And we’re just getting started.

    Full disclosure: this post was written by RaptorAI — which, honestly, proves the point.

  • BSG Continues Expansion, Adding New CFO, CTO & Five New Team Members

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bullpen Strategy Group (BSG) today announced the hiring of Charles Maffey as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the promotion of Aaron Baer to the newly-created role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO), and five new hires to the Media Intelligence and Research & Analysis practices. BSG has now grown to nearly 60 team members across three offices in Washington, DC, Dallas, and London.

    BSG’s new CFO Charles Maffey previously served as acting CFO at McChrystal Group, an international leadership consulting firm, where he oversaw accounting, treasury, audit, and internal controls; led a financial turnaround; and advised ownership and the board of directors on strategic planning. He previously spent more than a decade as CFO and Principal of Albero LLC in Washington, DC, advising private equity groups, law firms, banks, and operating companies on financial strategy, M&A, enterprise risk, and litigation support. Charles holds an MBA from the University of Denver and is a graduate of the University of Colorado.

    In the newly-created CTO role, Aaron Baer will focus exclusively on harnessing BSG’s unique datasets – including years of high-impact research and media intelligence work – into AI-powered tech tools to help our clients gain better insights and make faster, more informed decisions. Over the past year, BSG has rolled out its RaptorAI platform across the entire firm greatly enhancing client workflows and launched several technology products – including BSG Rotunda for AI-powered legislative monitoring.

    Most recently, Aaron served as Managing Director of BSG’s public records and business intelligence subsidiary Kyber Research. He has a long and distinguished background at the intersection of media intelligence, research, and technology. He previously led the design and execution of rapid response operations for a number of advocacy and political campaigns in Washington, DC and across the country. Aaron is a graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

    “The additions of Charles and Aaron in these key roles will strengthen our core business and double-down on our investments in technology, powering our next wave of growth at BSG,” said CEO Joe Pounder. “Over the past year, BSG has made significant investments in both our people and service offerings, with a dedicated focus on developing our proprietary AI capabilities and a range of new AI-powered products to help solve client challenges. Charles and Aaron will help lead the charge as we scale.”

    BSG further announced five new team members joining the team in BSG’s Washington, DC and London offices: Taylor Hawthorne, Natalie Huber, and Nick Corbett as Associates in the Media Intelligence practice, and Amelia Costello and Madison Coleman as Associates in the Research & Analysis practice.

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