United Fresh Produce Association hired Cordone Consulting LLC to work on general policy assistance related to the outbreak of COVID-19. Jonathan Cordone, former under secretary for farm and foreign agriculture services at the Department of Agriculture during the Obama administration, will work on the account.
Food delivery company DoorDash Inc. hired Cassidy and Associates to work on issues related to unemployment and the food service industry. Russell Thomasson, former chief of staff to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Kai Anderson, former deputy chief of staff to ex-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), will be among those working on the account.
Century 21 Stores hired Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP to work on issues related to COVID-19 relief. Travis Norton, former counsel to Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Russ Sullivan, former staff director for Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, will work on the account.
Saks Fifth Avenue hired The Vogel Group to work on issues related to company operations during the coronavirus pandemic. Alex Vogel, former chief counsel to ex-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), and William McGinley, former White House Cabinet secretary to President Trump, will work on the account.
Schulte Hospitality Group, based in Kentucky, hired Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP to work on issues related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Hunter Bates, former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Brendan Dunn, former legislative assistance to ex-Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), will work on the account.
Mobility Capital Finance Inc. also hired Akin Gump to work on issues related to the COVID-19 stimulus payments. Virgil Miller, former chief of staff to Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), and Ed Pagano, former chief of staff to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) who later was an adviser to ex-Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), will work on the account.
Insurance Auto Auctions Inc. hired Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies to work on a pandemic response and stimulus programs. Patrick Martin, former legislative correspondent to ex-Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), and Howard Schweitzer, former general counsel of the Export-Import Bank under former President George W. Bush, will work on the account.
The Arden Group, which manages and invests in real estate, also hired Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies to work on a pandemic response. Schwitzer will also work on the account.
Aimbridge Hospitality, a third-party hotel management company based in Texas, hired Covington & Burling LLP to work on implementation of the CARES Act. Brendan Parets, former chief counsel to Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), and Layth Elhassani, former special assistant in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs under former President Obama, will work on the account.