navigating government challenges

The Government Affairs practice has helped public and private clients successfully navigate the complex challenges of government. We have provided strategic counsel, lobbying expertise, legal services and direct marketing support for projects that enhance commerce and economic prosperity, education and public safety, homeland security and the sustainability of our natural resources.

• • The Greenbrier Companies

  • Ball Janik LLP has represented The Greenbrier Companies for more than two decades, assisting the client with a wide range of issues involving transportation, taxation, trade and economic development. 

• • Customs and Border Protection – Importation Rule

  • Working with a coalition, the Government Affairs group helped an Oregon knife manufacturer stop an adverse rule from being implemented by the Customs and Border Protection Agency.

• • Flomar Flood Control Project

  • The Government Affairs group helped secure three phases of federal funding for an important flood control project in Southern California, overcoming project delays and escalating costs to help bring the project to completion within the required timeframe.

• • Legislative and Regulatory Solutions

  • Our Government Affairs team has helped businesses, industries and non-profit coalitions solve complex challenges they face from federal regulations and legislation. We work directly with members and committees in Congress, with federal agencies and with the Administration to advance the interests of our clients.

• • Northwest RiverPartners

  • Ball Janik LLP represents Northwest RiverPartners in its efforts to work with federal agencies on issues concerning the impact of Endangered Species Act listings on the multiple uses of the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

• • Pacific University – Intermodal Transit Facility

  • Ball Janik LLP professionals working on behalf of Pacific University developed a successful coalition which resulted in funding for the City of Hillsboro's Intermodal Transit Facility (ITF). 

• • Reinventing a City

  • Ball Janik LLP helped the City of Burien, Washington, secure federal transportation funding that has been a catalyst for the City’s new Town Square and that has helped leverage $135 million of new private investment in residential, retail and transit-oriented developments.

• • Removal of Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River

  • From 1998 to 2009, the Government Affairs practice helped the Grants Pass Irrigation District develop and execute a multi-pronged strategy to authorize and fund the removal of the Savage Rapids Dam on the scenic Rogue River in Southern Oregon. The Savage Rapids Dam project was one of the largest dam removals ever accomplished in the United States.

• • Shipbuilders Council of America – Safety and Environmental Issues

  • In his role as Manager of Government Affairs for the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), Ian Bennitt helps SCA’s members address a wide range of worker health and safety, shipyard safety and environmental issues.

• • Shipbuilders Council of America – Small Shipyard Assistance Program

  • The Government Affairs practice has successfully supported the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) in its efforts to establish and fund a Small Shipyard Assistance Program, and has helped the SCA secure $130 million in federal grant funding.

• • Shipbuilders Council of America – U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard

  • The Government Affairs practice acted swiftly to ramp up its capabilities and expertise in ship building and repair issues, and has now established the Shipbuilders Council of America as the “go to” organization for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard on these issues.

• • The American Dehydrated Onion and Garlic Association (ADOGA)

  • The Government Affairs practice has worked with ADOGA to convince the federal government trade establishment that these two products merit continued protection from imports.

• • U.S. Air Force Assesses Innovative Aircraft Tow Vehicles

  • The Government Affairs practice represents an Oregon small business manufacturer of cutting edge ground support vehicles that position a wide variety of aircraft for the commercial airline industry. Working closely with the firm’s management and marketing team, Ball Janik LLP developed a plan to gain acceptance and approval of the company’s “towbar-less” tugs by the U.S. Air Force.

• • U.S. Army Adopts Innovative Cargo Lift System

  • The Government Affairs group developed and implemented a comprehensive strategy that helped a Vancouver, Washington company gain U.S. Army adoption of an innovative cargo lift system, which will now be included in a multi-year upgrade of hundreds of U.S. Army helicopters.

• • Webb Institute – Naval Architecture

  • The Government Affairs practice represents Webb Institute, a small undergraduate institution in Glen Cove, New York, that specializes in naval architecture and marine engineering.

• • Winning Strategy Expands Department of Defense Base's Water Treatment System

  • Working closely with the firm’s federal marketing team, the Government Affairs practice developed and implemented a plan that showcased a national engineering construction firm’s past performance and capabilities to both Congressional offices and key agency decision makers. This work helped the firm secure a follow-on contract and $40 million in funding for the final phase of the existing contract.

• • Working for Independence Program – Clackamas County, Oregon

  • With Ball Janik LLP’s assistance, Clackamas County received $125,000 in 2008 and $250,000 in 2009 for its Working for Independence project, a program designed to provide people who are managing persistent mental illness and other disabilities with job skills training and employment in the community.