 Lori Otto Punke |
Starbucks has hired LOP Strategies as federal lobbyist for a raft of corporate social responsibility issues.
Lori Otto Punke, who did a ten-year stint at the coffee chain before exiting as director of government affairs in 2015, heads the Mercer Island-based firm.
At Starbucks, she is remembered for helping to launch the company's high-profile College Achievement Plan to send baristas to college for free.
Earlier, Punke was Microsoft's manager of government affairs, dealing with intellectual property, antitrust, tax, trade, cybersecurity and regulatory matters. She also served on the board of the software giant's political action committee.
LOP will advise Starbucks on workforce employment, benefits, training, ethical sourcing, family leave and sustainability issues.
Starbucks spent $8.4M for DC lobbying during the first nine months of 2018 at firms including Monument Policy Group, K&L Gates and Petrizzo Group.
Knob Petroleum, which is based in Panama City, has retained Ballard Partners to explore opportunities in Venezuela.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has signed to represent Eastern Air Holdings, which operates deportation flights for Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
Ballard Partners has lined up Australia’s Energy Transition Minerals company, an explorer and developer of rare earths minerals opportunities. It touts its Greenland property as having the potential to become the biggest rare earths producer in the western world.
Abbvie has retained Trump-connected Winston-Salem-based Checkmate Government Relations for healthcare matters and issues related to the life sciences sector.
Netflix has retained Bloom Strategic Counsel for regulatory matters regarding its proposed $83B merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
