Nick Laning

Experience

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  Courtesy Corporation McDonald's

  Feb 2013 - Dec 2016

  Assistant General Manager

  Managed a team of around fifty employees. Oversaw hiring, training, team-building, scheduling, quality control, budgeting, and personnel issues. Won a College Scholarship in 2014 for being a nationally recognized "Outstanding Employee."

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  Chuck Grassley 2016 Senate Campaign

  Sept 2015 - Nov 2015

  Assistant Financial Chair

  Helped with administrative duties and updated financial donor database for the Chuck Grassley Campaign Office. Phone calls to donors were another large part of the internship.

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  Iowa House of Representatives

  Jan 2016 - Apr 2017

  Administrative Assistant

  During my time as the Assistant to Iowa Republican State Representative Guy Vander Linden, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, I oversaw the legislative process for the committee and all subcommittees. Additionally, I managed schedules, researched legislation, wrote speeches, and gave presentations as needed. I also formed lifelong relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle, lobbyists, and Capitol staff.

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  Cetera Financial Group

  Aug 2017 - Dec 2017

  Licensing and Registration Project Manager

  During my time at Cetera, I supervised a team of six associates throughout a license renewal project for thousands of financial representatives , while concurrently managing issues and complaints as they arose. This included training on the renewals system and handling escalations as needed.

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  LS2group

  Dec 2017 - Aug 2019

  Senior Account Manager

  During my time at LS2group, I advanced three positions in just over a year to become an independent, client-facing public affairs and public relations Senior Account Manager at LS2group, managing several team members on up to ten unique client accounts concurrently. I also became competent and exceeded expectations in the following areas:Public Relations, Writing, and Media Management - Managed numerous public relations and issue campaigns both for corporate companies and political advocacy - Established working relationships with editors, producers, and reporters of targeted media outlets - Secured earned media placements in targeted publications, including opinion editorials, columns, letters to the editor, and more - Pitched media to schedule interviews with reporters from TV, radio, and print publications - Created exceptional written content focused on client needs including press releases, media pitches, social media posts and strategy, talking points, interview Q&A documents, opinion editorials, letters, campaign and media plans, and other items as requestedIssue Advocacy/Grassroots Campaigns - Coordinated grassroots recruitment and outreach efforts to influence legislators on several issues ranging from agriculture to victims’ rights - Researched individual lawmakers and elected officials’ backgrounds in order to find the most influential recruits in order to sway lawmakers’ positions on targeted issues - Developed and implemented effective strategies for reaching federal and state lawmakers via earned media, radio and TV interviews, subcommittee testimony, letters, advertising, and more Show less

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  THE RAFFERTY GROUP, L.L.C.

  Sept 2020 - now

  Lobbyist Partner - Manager of Government Affairs

  I serve as a registered lobbyist partner on the Rafferty Group's client base throughout the year. Working on client issues and engaging policymakers and staff on the issues that are most important to Rafferty Group clients.

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  Advocacy Strategies, LLC

  Sept 2020 - now

  Manager of Government Affairs

  As the Manager of Government Affairs, I work daily to advocate for the interests of our diverse client base. From lobbying at the Iowa Capitol each legislative session to working the administrative rules process throughout the year, client priorities are the focus. Additionally, I execute effective media relations and public affairs campaigns to increase awareness on an array of issues. Building and maintaining relationships with policymakers, staffers, and influencers is always top of mind as well. Show less

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  Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) Foundation

  Sept 2021 - Jun 2022

  Leadership Iowa Participant

  Leadership Iowa is Iowa’s premier issues-awareness program promoting leadership and civic responsibility in our state. Through an integrated series of eight monthly sessions, participants are provided with a wide range of eye-opening experiences and insights that highlight the opportunities and challenges facing Iowa.Each year, 40 individuals are selected to participate in Leadership Iowa. Throughout their year with the program (October through June), participants convene in an Iowa community each month for a two-day session. Each session focuses on a specific topic or issue important to Iowa, allowing participants to step outside of their areas of expertise and gain a refreshed, insider’s perspective on the condition, needs and future of our state. The diverse topics of Leadership Iowa sessions typically include: agriculture, education, government, healthcare, economic development, advanced manufacturing, workforce and other pertinent subjects. Each session features unique interactive experiences, discussions with industry experts, collaborative group activities, industry tours, networking opportunities and more.Leadership Iowa offers participants the opportunity to not only gain current, relevant knowledge about the state in which we live and work, but form life-long friendships with their classmates from across the state. Leadership Iowa creates a strongly connected network of individuals who are enriched both personally and professionally from this unique experience. Show less