Securian Financial Group (formerly Minnesota Life)

Project description
As a Minnesota-based insurer with a national marketplace, Securian is subject to paying "retaliatory" premium taxes in states with lower tax rates than Minnesota's rate. Because more states have been lowering their premium tax rates in recent years, Securian's retaliatory tax problem was worsening and Securian was put at a competitive disadvantage. It became important to lower Minnesota's premium tax rate – even at a difficult time of diminished state revenue collections.

Why they came to Goff & Howard
Securian turned to Goff & Howard based on our proven ability to communicate the benefits of complex tax policies to policymakers.

How we have assisted them
We helped develop easy-to-understand messages regarding an arcane tax policy in ways that also highlighted how the state would benefit from a tax rate reduction. We also provided strategic counsel on how to get the measure passed during a highly polarized session, helped develop testimony, and directly lobbied.

Results
The legislation became law, lowering the state's premium tax and enabling Securian to be more competitive in the industry nationwide. This success came during a difficult and protracted legislative session in which many policy proposals failed.

Hamline University, University of St. Thomas, and Concordia University-St. Paul

Project description
Hamline, St. Thomas, and Concordia each have innovative programs to recruit, train and retain teachers of color and teachers in urban and urban-like settings. These programs all rely on state funding.

Why they came to Goff & Howard
Previously, the three private universities separately pursued support for their programs, but saw advantages in working together to request funding for their complementary efforts. They turned to Goff & Howard to ensure that their unique programs would continue to receive critical state grants.

How we have assisted them
We have helped the universities build reputations of success and value among key legislators and state education officials through strategic counsel, direct lobbying, and effective advocacy materials.

Results
Our lobbying team helped the universities secure more than $9 million in the six consecutive budget cycles beginning in 1999. Notably, their state funding successes in recent years came during the state's budget crisis, when the universities expected to receive no funding. We have also staved off recommendations by two different governors to eliminate the programs' funding. In addition, through effective reputation management efforts, we have taken the universities' programs from a situation where they needed to plead their case for funding year after year to a point where education leaders of both political parties recognize them as a worthwhile investment. This is evidenced by the fact that the universities' programs are now consistently a part of the base funding in the state's budget, having received recommendations from the Department of Education for continued support.

Polaris Industries

Project description
As the world's second-largest ATV manufacturer, Polaris has a strong desire to promote responsible growth in the ATV sport and places a high priority on proactive involvement in ATV and trail policies in its home state of Minnesota. Encouraging policymakers to create designated ATV trails to keep up with the demand has been a challenge.

Why they came to Goff & Howard
Polaris has relied on Goff & Howard as its representative at the state Capitol for more than a dozen years. As trail restrictions became an obstacle, Polaris asked us to make this its largest proactive lobbying effort ever in Minnesota.

How we have assisted them
With environmental organizations and media outlets calling for tighter restrictions on ATV riding, Goff & Howard's understanding of how opponents and the media shape events in the Legislature became a major strategic asset to Polaris. In 2003, we assisted Polaris and a coalition of dealers, manufacturers, and organizations representing riders and tourism officials in articulating the benefits of a sustainable ATV trail system. Through strategic counsel, direct lobbying, committee testimony, research, and materials, we helped pass legislation that required an extensive trail inventory and designation process. Two years later, when it became clear that additional policy changes were needed, we helped pass legislation giving state officials the flexibility to designate thousands of additional trail miles.

Results
Because of the success in changing the law in 2003 and 2005, Minnesota will have a larger, more sustainable, and more environmentally friendly trail system to accommodate a significantly expanding sport.

Polaris Industries

Project description
In the highly competitive motorsports equipment industry, Polaris needs to ensure that its new-model ATVs each year can be legally registered in states nationwide.

Why they came to Goff & Howard
Each of the 50 states has a different legal description for ATVs, many dating to the early days of ATV development in the 1980s. Many state statutes limit the types of models that can be ridden in a given state - often due to safety advances and other improvements that put new ATVs outside the scope of aging state laws. Polaris needed help identifying those laws and the potential changes being made each year, and coordinating advocacy for state law revisions as needed.

How we have assisted them
Goff & Howard has helped select, prepare, and coordinate suitable lobbying representation for Polaris in more than a dozen states where ATV law updates have been needed. We have also overseen their work, provided strategic guidance and communications support by creating fact sheets and talking points, and worked with Polaris employees, dealers and shareholders in each state to help build grassroots backing for law changes.

Results
We helped pass modernized ATV law changes in 10 states in 2009, which ensures that the latest Polaris products can be legally registered in those states.

"Coordinating lobbying efforts in numerous states – all with different laws, challenges, and legislative schedules – is complicated. The Goff & Howard team is well-organized and consistently delivers the results we need, so much so that this complex process looks simple."

Marlys Knutson, External Relations Manager