Stakeholder Strategy
Navigate complex networks and build real influence.
We map decision-makers, influencers, and allies around your issue and build a plan to reach each one.
Public affairs
Policy moves fast. You need a team that moves faster.
Your issue is on the line. We help you navigate the chaos, influence key decision-makers, and shape outcomes before they're decided for you.
Embedded partners
We're not just advisors.
At Echo Canyon, our public affairs team works inside the fight. With deep political instincts and battle-tested experience, we embed with your team to develop winning strategies and execute with discipline.
The practice is led by founding partner Matt Kenney, a combat veteran and former Executive Director of the Arizona Republican Party, with former U.S. Congressman Matt Salmon leading government affairs and lobbying from our Phoenix headquarters. Our team includes former congressional staff and a former journalist whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.
Grit. Loyalty. Integrity. We don't just believe in these values. We build every service around them.
What we do
Public affairs services
For corporations, associations, trade groups, and advocacy organizations working on energy, public safety, veterans' issues, development, and more.
Legislative Monitoring
Track, analyze, and respond to policy threats.
We read the bill, track it through committee, and brief you on what it means before it becomes law.
Crisis Communications
Protect your reputation and manage high-pressure moments.
When a story breaks, we help you respond fast, stay accurate, and protect long-term trust.
Media Relations
Get your story in the right hands at the right time.
Our team includes former journalists who know how to pitch, place, and prepare spokespeople.
Coalition Building
Unite aligned voices for greater public and political leverage.
We recruit and organize businesses, associations, and community leaders into coalitions that move policymakers.
Community Engagement
Deliver messages that resonate at a local, authentic level.
We take your case to city councils, county commissions, and neighborhoods with outreach that earns local support.
Definition
What is public affairs?
Public affairs is the work of shaping the policy and public-opinion environment around an organization, so decision-makers hear from the right voices before they act.
It goes beyond public relations. A public affairs program combines government relations, stakeholder and coalition outreach, media relations, and community engagement into one strategy. Today, AI tools speed up both sides of every fight, voters ask what any new project will cost them, and opposition groups can pack a hearing room on a few days' notice. That's why we read the bill, track it closely, and organize support early.
Our process
A process built to win
Every engagement follows the same disciplined six-step playbook, tested in the real world and refined through hard-won fights.
Define the Win
Set the goal, the vote or policy outcome, and the measures that prove success.
Build the Playbook
Turn research and targeting into a plan with a message, timeline, and budget.
Mobilize the Right Players
Recruit field teams, allies, coalitions, and spokespeople who can move the outcome.
Execute Without Hesitation
Run the plan with discipline, daily reporting, and fast decisions.
Stay Ahead of the Opposition
Monitor, adapt, and refine the message in real time as conditions shift.
Secure Victory
Close strong, bank the result, and protect the win after Election Day or the vote.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
What is public affairs?
Public affairs is the work of shaping the policy and public-opinion environment around an organization. It combines government relations, stakeholder and coalition outreach, media relations, and community engagement so that decision-makers hear from the right voices before they act. Echo Canyon's public affairs team works on energy, public safety, veterans' issues, development projects, and more.
Does Echo Canyon Consulting offer lobbying and government relations?
Yes. Former U.S. Congressman Matt Salmon leads Echo Canyon's government affairs practice as Managing Director of Government Affairs from the firm's Phoenix headquarters, supporting local, state, and federal government relations and lobbying for new and existing clients.
Ready to win?
Take the first step. Schedule a consultation and work with a team that brings experience, execution, and results to every challenge.