Cornerstone Solutions Expands
March 25, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Raleigh, NC- National corporate and political relations firm, Cornerstone Solutions, LLC, expands its reach by announcing the addition of Wayne Bertsch to its team of professionals with an office in Florida's Capital City, Tallahassee. This is the second addition since the opening of the Louisiana office with Mandy Fletcher Fraher.
"Wayne's 20 years of experience in Florida serving as a legislative, political and grassroots consultant, expands the services and political intelligence to provide our corporate, trade association and candidate clients the knowledge to maneuver through elections and the legislative lawmaking processes," says managing partner Chris Sinclair. "Wayne has worked all over the state of Florida to elect candidates to office and has fought issue battles on behalf of trade associations and corporations."
“Wayne will be working to serve our expanding client and candidate base in Florida, and helping with Cornerstone clients in others parts of the country. He will specialize in candidate and issue campaigns as well as working on grassroots campaigns for organizations that want to communicate with the legislature. His political and legislative experience in Florida will give Cornerstone clients a winning edge.”
Sinclair also announced the expansion of the firm’s Raleigh, NC office to include Matt Bales. "Matt's talent is everything Internet combined with an impressive political background,” said Sinclair. “He brings creative ideas to use these new tools, and will provide our clients with strategic guidance on how to use the Internet and social media technology to complement other components of a campaign or communications program. We are excited about having someone with Matt’s experience on our team."
Cornerstone Solutions, LLC is headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL, managed by Rick Asnani, one of the firm’s founding partners, and has offices in Raleigh, NC with Chris Sinclair, Alastair Macaulay, Matt Bales and Baton Rouge, LA led by Mandy Fletcher Fraher.
About Wayne Bertsch:
Wayne Bertsch brings 18 years of experience having provided a range of government relations, candidate and issue campaign consulting for clients that include: Statewide, Legislative, local government candidates, corporate and trade associations needing political expertise.
Wayne served over 11 years as the Director of Political Affairs and Lobbyist for the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) with responsibilities that included: fundraising, managing, targeting, recruiting and evaluation of candidates and or issues; lobbying the Legislative and Executive Branch, advising the association leadership and maintaining coalitions to support or oppose issues related but not limited to; construction, growth management and development, workforce education and training (Appropriations) government financing and taxes, energy, property casualty and workers’ comp insurance, permitting, licensing.
Wayne’s experience also includes serving as the Operations Director for the Florida Dole for President Campaign after starting his political experience serving as the Legislative Assistant in the Florida Legislature.
Wayne Bertsch is a graduate of The Florida State University, earning a degree in Political Science and Communications. He is a member of the American Association of Political Consultants, founding member of the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists and lives in Tallahassee, Florida.
About Mandy Fletcher Fraher:
Mandy Fletcher Fraher has spent nearly a decade specializing in strategic project management, with a focus on grassroots and issue advocacy. Mandy's extensive experience in both advocacy and candidate political campaigns – at all levels – has uniquely positioned her to navigate complex political environments and respond quickly to emerging local, state and national trends.
Before joining Cornerstone, Mandy served as campaign manager for United States Senate candidate John Kennedy, currently serving his third term as Louisiana State Treasurer. Additionally, she managed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign in Florida and served as political director of the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election effort in the Sunshine State. Mandy also has an impressive track record of implementing comprehensive strategies to advocate for a broad range of private enterprise and public policy issues.
Mandy has worked with numerous local, state and national Republican committees to elect Republican candidates and advance a conservative agenda. These experiences have enabled Mandy to develop a large network of relationships with key elected officials and business and community leaders nationally and throughout the Gulf Coast. She lives in Mandeville, Louisiana.
About Matt Bales:
Matt Bales brings varied media and political experience to the Cornerstone Solutions team. He has held positions in broadcasting, public relations, marketing, fundraising, and political and corporate consulting.
Previously, Matt served as a staff member with two national political campaigns, most recently as Deputy Finance Director of a high profile U.S. Senate race. He spent a year with WNVN-TV in Roanoke Rapids as a producer and evening news director prior to attending college. Matt interned with CapStrat, a Raleigh-based public relations firm, where he researched and analyzed industry trends and news to provide clients with sound and accurate advice. In 2009, Matt started Carolina Consulting Partners, a boutique-consulting firm specializing political fundraising, Web site designs and new media consulting.
Currently, Matt serves on the alumni board for the Upsilon Chapter of Zeta Psi and represents the fraternity on the Alumni Board of the UNC Interfraternity Council. Matt also sits on the Advisory Board of ZetePAC, a political action committee for the Zeta Psi Fraternity. Matt graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with B.A. in Political Science and a minor in History.
