Profiles in PR — Sextant Public Affairs
Your Name: Patrick Ahearn
Your Position: President
Your Company: Sextant Public Affairs
Services Offered
Grassroots / Grasstops / Earned Media / Coalition Development
Niche Area of Expertise
Grasstops field services
How Did You Get Started In This Business?
I received my Masters degree in Political Management from George Washington University in 1995, fully expecting to go manage political campaigns. I had no idea this type of work existed. After working at Direct Impact for about 2 minutes, I knew that I had found what I wanted to do for my career. After more than a decade of working in this field, I started my own firm, and have never been happier. To be able to get up every day and work with people from all over the country who have the same passion that I do, and to be able to work on some of the biggest national issues of our time is a dream come true.
Do You Have Any Advice for Potential Clients?
1) Understand that what we do is a vital component to your overall legislative strategy. It should never be viewed as a separate entity.
2) Every Member of Congress responds differently to different types of communications. Don’t think solely along the lines of quantity, but rather on quality.
Why Should an Organization Hire Sextant Public Affairs?
We look at your issue and craft a tailored program to help you achieve results. We will prepare and execute a plan in each state that takes into account the uniqueness of those states and how each Member of Congress responds to different types of communications. And we are nimble enough to be able to quickly respond to changes in situations.
