Eric Shuffler and Dan Bryan, two highly regarded experts in the fields of strategy, communication and problem-solving, are announcing this morning that they have formed Resolve Strategic Communications, BINJE has learned.
While both are known for their connection to politics — Shuffler worked for Govs. McGreevey and Corzine; Bryan worked for Gov. Murphy — they emphasized that Resolve will represent far more than just government-based clients.
Even more, they stressed Resolve should not be viewed as the public relations arm of River Crossing Strategy Group, the government affairs firm Shuffler founded nearly two decades ago, or an outgrowth of Bryan Strategies Group, a consulting firm Bryan founded four years ago after leaving the Murphy administration.
Bryan, who will serve as managing partner, said the two made a conscious decision to make Resolve independent of their other work.
“We were pretty intentional about the structure and the thought process behind it,” Bryan said. “We want this to be an independent firm that stands on its own.”
One that does more than just produce press releases and talking points.
Shuffler, who will serve as founding partner, said Resolve will use emerging technologies to problem-solve.
He acknowledges the duo’s background in the political world will come into play – but he sees it more as a benefit of lessons learned than a contact list of potential clients. In fact, Shuffler said he feels Resolve solves an issue he has seen for years during his time at River Crossing.
“This is something I’ve thought about doing for 10-15 years,” he said. “I always felt there was this gap in the marketplace, because most communications firms reflect people who come out of communications backgrounds more than strategy backgrounds.
“After 20 years of advocacy and solving problems, you start to understand the totality of what it takes to solve problems. Communications and advocacy is an important piece of that.
“I always felt that being able to have a communications firm that wasn’t necessarily part of a lobbying firm, but that was built by people who are grounded in that understanding, was a value add — and something that was really transferable beyond the political realm.”
Bryan said he also values the opportunity to do more public affairs work.
“This gives me the ability to scale, not only through a great partnership with Eric, but on the substance of the communication strategy itself — and being able to deliver a bigger product and bigger results for clients,” he said.
“I’ve had a lot of fun challenges and successes over the last few years, but if someone came to me with a big project, I had to bring people in or refer it to someone else entirely. This gives me the ability to meet bigger challenges and build a bigger team that can scale with anyone in the state.”
So why not just make it part of one of your existing firms?
“We want Resolve to be something that can stand up and grow on its own,” Shuffler said. “And having it be a part of a bigger firm wouldn’t allow it to do that.”
BINJE spoke with Shuffler and Bryan about Resolve Strategic Communications. Here is more of the conversation, edited slightly for space and clarity.
BINJE: Where are you headquartered — or will you work remotely?
Dan Bryan: We will spend a great deal of time out with clients but we will have an office in Edison.
BINJE: How big is your staff now – and how quickly will it grow?
Dan Bryan: We have hired Toral Patel, who worked in the governor’s communications office. She is young, smart and hungry – the type of person you want to hire when you open up a firm like this. She’ll help us build the firm from the ground up, but we’ll be very intentional about who we hire.
I anticipate we’ll be doing more hiring in the next six months as we build it out, but we’ll be very intentional. We care about the culture of the firm. And we want to walk before we run.
BINJE: Let’s talk about the build. Will you concentrate on any particular sector?
Dan Bryan: No. And without getting into specifics, we already have a few clients – and they are from a variety of sectors. I don’t think there’s a sector that we’re not going to be able to work with. Will we have some more immediate opportunities with some more than others? Of course. But the idea is to grow that in a number of ways.
Eric Shuffler: We certainly are not going to limit ourselves, but I’ll answer that question in another way: When I started River Crossing with Jamie Fox we had this belief that we’re going to be a transportation consulting business. Ultimately, our experience in the marketplace showed us where our value was and where the path to growth was. It’s the same here. We’re not targeting a sector as much as we’re targeting — at least initially — where our relationships are.
BINJE: Are you going to stick to New Jersey clients?
Eric Shuffler: I don’t want to limit us, but it’s fair to say that this is where our relationships are, so it’s where we’ll concentrate.
BINJE: Will you consider bringing on other partners — or acquiring other firms?
Eric Shuffler: If you want to grow into a modern-day communications firm, you’re going to have to acquire other talents – talents who are more versed in AI, more versed in data analysis, more versed in research. And you’re going to have to figure out how you incorporate them into your business if you really want to be a full-service business.
So, Dan is right, we want to have an organized launch and build the base. But ultimately, the plan isn’t just to have a communications business that is adjunct to government affairs, but to really build out a communications business. In order to do that, you have to go out and acquire skills and talent that Dan or I don’t have.
I don’t know if that’s at the end of Year One or Year Three or Year Five, I just know it will be driven by joy, being with good people and building the right culture.
BINJE: How will your government affairs background impact this role — how much will the two merge together.
Dan Bryan: We’ll have to view each client on a case-by-case basis. But I think the greater good is the knowledge base that our experience brings to bear on the situation.
Eric Shuffler: At the end of the day, solving problems is solving problems. And communicating with people is communicating with people. I look at my efforts (as owner of the Staten Island) FerryHawks. Getting people to come to games is the equivalent of Getting Out The Vote — marketing to people about buying tickets is somewhat akin to getting them to go out an vote.
I think people will understand that the skills learned in high-level politics and high-level governmental advocacy are very translatable to business problems and business communications that people face in non-governmental spaces. It may take us a little bit of time, but we’ll get there in terms of developing a client base that reflects that.
BINJE: Last question … for Dan. Eric has started and run a number of businesses. In a lot of ways, this is your first. How will you step into that idea — and serve as managing partner?
Dan Bryan: I think it is going to be a personal challenge for me but one I’m looking forward to. As someone who has spent most of his career as a guy behind the scenes, advising and trying to affect outcomes without anyone really knowing I was involved, I am now going to have to move into a phase where I put myself and the company out there.
It will be a new challenge for me, the idea of promoting what I’m doing and what the firm is doing. But I look forward to tell our story and growing the company.
