Since its founding by Brian Ballard in 1998, Ballard Partners has expanded from a Florida-based public affairs firm into one with a global reach. As it has opened locations in major markets around the world, as well as forged strategic alliances with like-minded international partners, it has represented clients from a variety of industries.
From Fortune 500 retail brands to professional sports leagues, some of the world’s leading organizations come to Ballard Partners looking to leverage the firm’s expert team of government affairs consultants. Together, these professionals draw on their industry knowledge, public policy skills, and deep connections in local, state, and federal government to help clients exceed their goals.
Among the industries in which Ballard Partners maintains particular aptitude is financial services. Through its Financial Services Group, companies benefit from Ballard’s support in navigating the financial industry’s complex regulatory environment.
The Financial Services Group’s clients include major firms like Blackstone and Nationwide. One of the world’s leading alternative asset managers, Blackstone has built a reputation for delivering consistent returns for clients by making smart and timely investments in dynamic sectors. Currently, it has more than $1 trillion in assets under management.
Nationwide, meanwhile, credits its growth into one of the world’s largest providers of insurance and financial services to the quality of its customer services, its sound business practices, and its financial stability. Founded in 1926, it regularly earns the highest financial ratings from Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and AM Best.
Ballard Partners does not only serve globally known firms, however. Among its clients is the family-owned Bankers. Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Bankers is a holding company consisting of businesses that provide a range of specialty insurance, protection services, and warranties.
Regardless of the client, the Financial Services Group stands ready to deliver unsurpassed results. Leading the group is its chair, Jeff Atwater, who brings to his position extensive financial experience from across the public and private sectors. A former banking executive, he has served as president and CEO of the Barnett Bank of Broward County, president of Bank of America of Broward County, and CFO and vice president of strategic initiatives for Florida Atlantic University.
Atwater has also built relationships in government through his years of public service. In 1993, he was elected vice mayor of North Palm Beach. He later ran successfully for a seat in the Florida State House, serving there for two years before winning election to the Florida Senate in 2002. He represented his constituents for eight years and spent the final two as senate president, a post to which his fellow senators elected him unanimously.
In 2010, Atwater transitioned from legislative service to a cabinet-level position when he was elected Florida’s state treasurer and CFO. Over two four-year terms, he transformed Florida into an attractive market for capital investments while implementing an enterprise resource planning system that dramatically improved fiscal transparency in the state. Through his work, which also included managing Florida’s public-pension investment portfolio, he made lasting contributions to the state’s fiscal health.
Now committed to making lasting contributions to Ballard Partners’ clients, Atwater heads the Financial Services Group, where he is supported by a team with an ideal combination of financial and government relations experience. Oscar Chemerinski is a former global director for the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank’s private sector arm; Abby Vail is a former chief of staff in the Florida Office of Financial Regulation; and Tola Thompson is a veteran Capitol Hill staffer who served as chief of staff to a member of the House Financial Services Committee and worked with a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.
