Dax Swatek | Lobbyist and Consultant | Swatek Azbell Howe & Ross There is probably no one who was better positioned to take advantage of the Republicans’ rise to power in Alabama than Swatek. His résumé includes senior positions on gubernatorial, congressional and even presidential campaigns within the state. He was in the small circle […]

Bob Geddie | Lobbyist | Fine Geddie & Associates Governors and legislators come and go, but Geddie remains steady as a rock on the 5th floor of the Alabama State House. He is one of the few guys in Montgomery whose influence doesn’t waver, no matter what elected leaders rise to power. Prior to forming […]

David Perry | Chief of Staff | Gov. Robert Bentley The Universe that spins around the governor includes staffers, advisors and aides playing a countless number of different roles — from implementing public policy to advancing the governor’s legislative agenda to getting Bentley re-elected. In the midst of all that controlled chaos is 35-year-old David […]

Joe Perkins | The Matrix Man While most Democratic consultants have tried to become chameleons since Republicans took control in 2010, Perkins has survived, and even thrived, by sheer force of will. He has been the leading Democratic consultant in the state for decades, due in part to his role as the Alabama Education Association’s […]

Garry Neil Drummond | Chairman & CEO | Drummond Co. Drummond oversees an international business empire that frequently places his company on the list of Forbes’ most valuable privately owned companies. “Using mules hauling small carloads of coal from the mines, Heman Drummond founded this Birmingham, Alabama company in 1935,” Forbes explained in a 2010 […]

Zeke Smith | Executive VP of External Affairs | Alabama Power Smith has been at Alabama Power for over three decades, working his way up through the ranks to his current role as one of the company’s top executives. As Executive VP of External Affairs, he overseas Alabama Power’s public relations division, as well as […]

Rep. Mac McCutcheon | Chairman | House Rules Committee North Alabama has become a power center for Republicans, and McCutcheon has emerged as one of the GOP’s top leaders up there. He was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2006. In less than two complete terms, he’s risen to become Chairman of the […]

Blaine Galliher | Senior Advisor | Gov. Robert Bentley  Galliher has been a trusted voice in the governor’s inner circle since accepting his cabinet appointment as Legislative Director in the summer of 2012. His background made him the ideal candidate for the legislative director’s job. Almost two decades in the legislature, House Rules Chairman, battle […]

Rep. Steve Clouse | Chairman | General Fund Budget Committee Clouse is in his 20th year in the Alabama House of Representatives. He was one of the Republicans slogging it out in the minority year after year before Republicans took control in the 2010. He’s paid his dues, and now runs one of the most […]

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has delivered yet another punch in the gut to the Obama administration’s agenda. This week the CBO confirmed what many economists have said for years: raising the minimum wage to the proposed $10.10 would cost minimum wage workers their jobs. In fact, the CBO report says it is likely that […]

Rep. Bill Poole | Chairman | Education Budget Committee When veteran state government reporter George Talbot asked 20 legislators in 2011 who they believed was the freshman with the brightest future, 19 of them said Bill Poole. He’s already proving them right. Freshman legislators rarely get to be committee chairmen, much less chairman of arguably […]

(Above: Gov. Bentley announces Remington is coming to Alabama, Remington CEO George Kollitides says the state’s motto played a role in getting them to come.) HUNTSVILLE — Dozens of lawmakers, economic development advocates, and members of the press packed into the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce Monday afternoon to welcome the nation’s oldest firearms manufacturer, Remington […]

Josh Blades | Chief of Staff | Speaker of the House Blades is one of the most talented staffers in Alabama state government. After serving in a senior role in the Riley administration, he became the top aide to House Speaker Mike Hubbard when Republicans took over the legislature in 2010. He’s still only 31-years-old, […]

Steve Windom | Lobbyist  Some guys leave elected office and are able to make a lot of money largely due to the position they once held. Then there are guys like Windom who roll up their sleeves and flat out outwork the competition. The 27th Lt. Governor of Alabama has had an impressive run since […]

Henry Mabry | Union Boss | Alabama Education Association Executive Secretary of the Alabama Education Association has been one of the most powerful positions in the state for decades. It is not hyperbole to say that the head of the AEA was the single most powerful person in Alabama at various points over the last […]

Paul Bryant, Jr. | Chairman | Bryant Bank Bryant can pick up the phone and call the governor and start moving mountains at a moment’s notice. He’s the bedrock in Bentley World. Other players close to the governor are more involved in the administration on a daily basis, but Bryant is the foundation the whole […]

Kay Ivey | Lt. Governor of Alabama Ivey is a staple on the conservative speaking circuit in Alabama. If you’ve never seen her lead the pledge of allegiance at an event, you’re missing out. Over the last twelve years, she’s built an extensive grassroots network around the state. She’s particularly strong in rural areas. She’s […]

Jimmy Parnell | President, CEO and Chairman | ALFA Parnell is running a company that is in every single community in Alabama, small and large. The farming industry is at the heart of not only Alabama’s economy, but also Alabama’s culture. Every statewide office, congressman, and the vast majority of legislators have constituents in farming. […]

David Bronner | CEO | Retirement Systems of Alabama Ten years ago, Dr. Bronner would have been in the top 10 on this list. He was riding high off of the reputation he’d built as an investments guru. He had total buy-in from elected leaders in every branch of the government, especially the legislature. A […]

Quentin Riggins | Vice President of Governmental Relations | Alabama Power Company You can have all the money in the world, run one of the largest companies in the state, heck, you could even be elected Governor of Alabama — but you still wouldn’t have the cachet that comes with being an SEC Football Legend. […]

Johnny Johns | Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer | Protective Life Corp. If you set out to create the ideal résumé for an Alabama business and political heavyweight, it would probably look a lot like Johns’. CEO of one of Birmingham’s top 5 largest publicly traded companies. Member of the Executive Committee of the Birmingham […]

A bill commonly referred to as the Alabama Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights (TBOR) will be up in the state senate today, almost exactly a month after it passed the house with little opposition other than the Alabama Education Association (AEA), as is usually the case with conservative legislation. The bill seeks to remove the Alabama […]

I turned 30-years-old today. Admittedly, it is little weirder than I’d expected. I can no longer use being “in my 20s” as an excuse, or a bragging point for that matter. It’s over. A little self-reflection got me thinking, what have I learned over the past 30 years? I certainly don’t think I’ve got very […]