Duane Morris' Government Affairs Unit Joins Forces with GSP Consulting Corp. to Form Duane Morris Government Strategies

PHILADELPHIA and PITTSBURGH, Dec.12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Duane Morris Government Affairs LLC (DMGA) and GSP Consulting Corp. (GSP) are pleased to announce the formation of Duane Morris Government Strategies LLC (DMGS).  Effective January 1, 2012, the new company will commence operations as an ancillary business of international law firm Duane Morris LLP.

DMGS will offer a full range of government relations and public affairs services, including lobbying; grant writing; development finance consulting; media relations management; grassroots campaigning; and community outreach.  DMGS will comprise more than 30 experienced professionals representing clients at the federal, state and local levels and will operate in nine offices across five states and the District of Columbia.  DMGS will be led in Pittsburgh by Joseph Kuklis, who is currently GSP's president and CEO, in Newark by Eric Martins, who is currently DMGA's managing director, and in Pittsburgh by Amy Kaminski, who is currently GSP's principal and CFO.

"At GSP, Joe Kuklis has rapidly built a talented and well-respected team with a deep network of established relationships throughout the Northeast and Midwest, as well as in D.C.," Martins said. "The formation of DMGS allows Duane Morris to offer an expanded slate of services and wider geographic scope to clients seeking sophisticated advocacy and support. We're pleased to welcome Joe, Amy and their team as our new colleagues."

"DMGA and GSP are an excellent match, not only in terms of our capabilities but also the clients we serve," added Kuklis. "DMGA's superb reputation, combined with its customized and strategic approach to achieving clients' public policy objectives, made it a natural fit for our firm. We are also very pleased to be operating under the umbrella of the Duane Morris law firm, which is an excellent and well-regarded firm with an extensive national platform."

Duane Morris Government Affairs LLC has operated as a bipartisan firm committed to providing businesses with lobbying and government relations services at all levels. With offices in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., it has drawn on more than three decades of experience in building public support and positioning clients' issues to achieve maximum success through the often-complex governmental decision-making process. Among the services DMGA provides are association management, community relations, crisis communications, economic development consulting, grassroots campaign guidance and grant writing, as well as media relations and public affairs management.

Formed in 2001, GSP advises and advocates for clients, ranging from small and mid-sized businesses to Fortune 500 companies, in key aspects of their interactions with federal and state governments. It provides public policy advocacy in the areas of energy, defense and national security, healthcare, education, transportation and workforce development. GSP has guided companies through the complex process of securing federal investments through legislative appropriations, competitive grants and administrative procurements. GSP also has specific experience identifying and securing public funding for real estate development projects. They include commercial real estate, municipal infrastructure, historic preservation, transit development, green building and affordable housing.

In 2008 and 2007, GSP was recognized in Inc. Magazine's "Top 5000 Fastest-Growing Privately-Held Companies in America" list. The corporation was voted one of the "Best Places to Work in Western Pennsylvania" by Pittsburgh Business Times in 2008 and 2006, and it made Pittsburgh Business Times' "Pittsburgh 100" list as one of the region's fastest-growing companies in 2011, 2010 and 2009. GSP was selected in 2011 and 2010 by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City as one of the 100 fastest-growing inner city firms in the United States. The corporation was also named "Service Provider of the Year" by the Pittsburgh Technology Council in 2006 for its work with many of the region's technology companies.

SOURCE Duane Morris Government Strategies