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With experience working in both the public and private sectors and bi-partisan contacts on Capitol Hill and throughout the Executive Branch, we offer our clients multiple ways to address business critical issues. Whether faced with an issue that only legislation can resolve or a need to interact with senior decision-makers in the Executive Branch or something somewhere in between, we are positioned to help.

MEET THE HSG TEAM

MIKE HETTINGER

President and Founding Principal

A former House of Representatives Republican Leadership chief of staff and committee staff director, Mike Hettinger is the president and founding principal of Hettinger Strategy Group LLC (HSG), a full-service government relations, federal marketing and public affairs firm headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.  HSG represents the interests of many of Silicon Valley’s most innovative companies in Washington. Hettinger founded the firm in 2014 after leaving TechAmerica, where he was senior vice president for both public sector and federal government affairs. Hettinger is a highly regarded expert in information technology policy and one of the leading technology lobbyists in Washington, having been named a "Top Hired Gun Lobbyist" for 5 years running (2018-2022) by The Hill.

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Prior to joining TechAmerica, Hettinger was head of the Public Sector Innovation Group at the Software and Information Industry Association.  Before going to SIIA, Hettinger was Executive Director in charge of Strategic Planning, Government Relations and Market Development in Grant Thornton’s Global Public Sector Practice.  Mr. Hettinger joined Grant Thornton from the House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government Management, Finance and Accountability, where he served as staff director. 

 

Hettinger has an extensive background in lobbying and public affairs, having served as a Public Policy Counselor at Patton Boggs LLP where he oversaw large-scale lobbying and public affairs campaigns.  Prior to joining Patton Boggs, Hettinger was Chief of Staff to former U.S. Representative Tom Davis of Virginia.

 

Mr. Hettinger has been a regular contributor to Government Matters TV, which airs in Washington, DC five nights a week on News Channel 8 / ABC 7 as well as a frequent contributor to the public dialogue in the trade press and related media.

RICHARD BEUTEL

Principal, Cyrrus Analytics

Hettinger Strategy Group has formed a joint venture with Cyrrus Analytics LLC, a small consulting firm specializing in government acquisition and cloud computing policy, headed by former House Oversight Counsel Rich Beutel. Working together, HSG and Cyrrus form one of Washington's premier boutique lobbying and federal marketing firms, providing clients with unmatched experience, expertise and access.  

 

Beutel has served ten years in progressively more responsible Hill assignments, specializing in acquisition and procurement policy.  Most recently, while at the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Beutel was the originator and legislative manager for the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA), a major overhaul of the governing Clinger Cohen framework.  FITARA was signed into law as part of the FY 2015 National Defense Authorization Act.

 

Prior to his service to Chairman Issa, Beutel was the General Counsel to the bipartisan Commission on Wartime Contracting in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Wartime Commission was a congressionally appointed oversight board mandated by Congress to investigate waste, fraud and abuse in government contracting activities in contingency and wartime operations.  As General Counsel, Beutel assisted in establishing oversight teams in Afghanistan and Iraq, which identified over $6 billion in wasteful and fraudulent spending. Many of these cases were referred to the Justice Department on criminal referrals.

 

Prior to his service on the Wartime Commission, Beutel reported to Senator Susan Collins, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. In that capacity, Beutel was the legislative manager for the Clean Contracting Act provisions in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. These provisions significantly reformed the procedures by which Government-wide Acquisition Contracts function. He also served as lead policy staffer on government contract acquisition and policy practices.

 

Beutel’s prior government service includes management and policy leadership for the House of Representatives international China program, involving the organization and policy leadership for 12 Congressional and staff delegations to meet with members of the Chinese National People’s Congress. He was also a senior executive for Dell, Inc., working directly with Michael Dell for many years in support of Michael Dell’s Washington policy initiatives.

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