The Alpine Group has opened its first office outside Washington, D.C., establishing a new presence in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The bipartisan government affairs firm, known for guiding companies through federal policy, funding, and regulation, is among the first of its peers to put down roots in the region. It quietly launched the office in Southlake in late April, citing DFW’s growing influence in industries where Washington decisions are shaping how business gets done.

“Dallas-Fort Worth is a powerhouse for business and policy,” said Keenan Austin Reed, Alpine’s CEO, announcing the Texas expansion.

Reed said Alpine aims to better serve its existing clients and deepen its roots in the region. But the firm’s decision, she added, goes deeper.

 “Traditionally, Washington, D.C. firms enter a state solely to do business in the capital, working on important state-level issues,” Reed said. “That’s not the whole story with us.”

Alpine is taking a different route, anchoring in the region’s corporate center.

The 30-person shop, consistently ranked among Washington’s top lobbying shops, is already working with more than 15 regional heavyweights—including AWS, BNSF, Atmos Energy, Siemens, Lyft, and Match Group. The new office builds on those ties, Reed says, giving Alpine a physical foothold in Texas and DFW, a market Alpine sees as “one of the fastest-growing business hubs in the country.”

Alpine points to the growing presence of both industry giants and high-growth companies across the region—and the market realities they face.

Alpine Group CEO Keenan Austin Reed

“As increasing numbers of the nation’s great companies, most innovative business leaders, and transformative technologies are centered in DFW,” Reed said, “it’s important for us to be here—working closely with them, being part of the same dynamic environment, and gaining the in-depth understanding of the factors that will drive growth and opportunity in America for years to come.” 

The April 22 launch of Alpine’s Texas office was marked with a ribbon-cutting event joined by regional leaders and U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, who represents the district. But the firm’s strategy isn’t ceremonial. It reflects a broader shift: proximity matters in a region increasingly driving federal engagement across sectors like financial services, energy, AI, semiconductors, and defense.

In a conversation with Dallas Innovates, Reed and Barry Brown, Alpine’s senior vice president and a fifth-generation Texan, discussed the strategy behind the move—and why they believe DFW is emerging as a national hub for federal engagement and what that means for companies.

Why Texas and Dallas-Fort Worth—and why now?

Alpine executives describe the firm’s recent move as both proactive and strategic—a response to where major business decisions are increasingly being made.

“I think the opportunity here is just explosive,” Reed told Dallas Innovates. “We thought it was smart to get that first-mover advantage.”

The firm sees Dallas-Fort Worth at an inflection point, in terms of a market where federal complexity is rising and where Alpine’s kind of sophisticated policy navigation is in growing demand.

“Texas is driving national conversations in energy, technology, financial services, health care, and infrastructure,” said Brown, who plays a key role in the firm’s Texas operations.

Brown points to regional momentum. “There’s about 8.5 million people in that 13-county region,” he said. “This summer sometime, we’ll probably surpass Chicago as the third-largest metropolitan area.”

“When we look across the board of what makes the most sense for Alpine Group, North Texas certainly stands out,” he said.

Alpine Group Texas April 23 launch event: TrailRunner International Head of Corporate and Public Affairs Pat Shortridge, Alpine Group Principal and Chairman Rhod Shaw, Alpine Group Barry Brown, Alpine Group CEO and Managing Principal Keenan Austin Reed, U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, and TrailRunner International Executive Chairman Jim Wilkinson. [Photo: Alpine Group]

Home on Y’all Street

The firm’s new base in Southlake positions it close to corporate campuses for Deloitte, Fidelity, and Charles Schwab—companies that reflect the region’s growing influence in financial and technology sectors. Alpine is now operating in what insiders have dubbed “Y’all Street”—a nod to DFW’s rising concentration of financial services and its deepening role in national economic relevance.

“It’s only logical that our firm is here to be part of this incredible growth engine,” Brown said. Expanding Alpine’s footprint “just made a lot of sense.”

Reed added, “There’s going to be a moment where firms like ours wish they would have been on the front end of what is happening here in Dallas-Fort Worth, and it becomes too late or too expensive.”

Bundled influence

Brown credits local business and civic leadership for cultivating the kind of environment that attracts national firms, but Alpine didn’t enter the region alone. It arrived with support from TrailRunner International, the global strategic communications firm headquartered in Westlake. The two firms are corporate siblings.

In early 2025, Public Policy Holding Company Inc.—a publicly traded holding company that owns a portfolio of government affairs and communications firms—acquired TrailRunner for $33 million. Alpine was already part of PPHC’s network, positioning both firms under a shared parent with expanding ambitions in Texas and beyond.

“We have a wonderful partnership in our sister firm here, TrailRunner International, which is a known quantity in DFW,” Reed said. “They were really a healthy hand in opening doors for us.”

“North Texas is open for business,” Brown said.

Boots on the ground

With Alpine’s new presence in DFW, Brown will serve as a bridge between Washington and the state and regional business leaders.

Brown has long straddled that corridor. A Greenville, Texas, native, he previously served as chief of staff to U.S. Representatives Kay Granger and Michael Burgess. “There’s a lot going on here. We’re a part of it,” he said. “We just wanted to be more a part of it.”

Reed calls Brown “the perfect one to lead the charge,” adding that his long-standing relationships and reputation were a key part of the firm’s Texas calculus. “He has spent his life bringing Texas to DC, particularly the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” she said.

With decades of experience in government, politics, and advocacy, Brown offers what the firm describes as a “deep understanding of both federal policy and Texas priorities.”

A top 20 player in the growing “influence industry”

Alpine’s expansion into North Texas comes as the lobbying business—now widely referred to as the “influence industry”—continues to grow in both scope and visibility.

The bipartisan firm ranks among the top revenue-generating firms in Washington and carries Bloomberg Government’s coveted “standout” designation for 2024, which highlights operational efficiency and high client retention. To earn the label, firms must retain at least 80% of clients year-over-year, maintain 60% over three years, and generate more than $600,000 in revenue per lobbyist.

Federal lobbying spending hit a record $4.5 billion in 2024, outpacing inflation and reflecting what Bloomberg analysts called a shift in strategy: “The direct lobbying industry reacted to congressional inaction in 2023 by pivoting to instead focus on laying the groundwork for future legislation.” Tax policy, healthcare, AI, and crypto regulation are among the key drivers.

That’s on point for Alpine, which, with nearly 30 years of experience, advises clients on policy, regulation, procurement, funding, and access—across both chambers of Congress and multiple federal agencies.

Business climate and sectors to watch

From Alpine’s vantage point, Dallas-Fort Worth offers a convergence: a fast-growing business base that’s increasingly connected to federal oversight and funding decisions.

“We’re seeing everything from data centers to developments in energy and AI,” said Barry Brown, Alpine’s senior vice president, noting these as core areas of focus for many of the firm’s clients—and for the region more broadly.

Reed said Dallas-Fort Worth is emerging as a front line for federally complex sectors, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and crypto.

“We see a nexus of where it is happening in a very leading way in Dallas-Fort Worth.”

‘Business loves certainty’

North Texas companies across sectors are facing increasingly complex federal questions—around oversight, incentives, procurement, and compliance, Brown said. While some are just beginning to encounter those realities, others are already scaling into them.

“The new administration has created lots of questions and concerns that have come directly back to us, wanting to know … the pulse of what’s happening,” Brown said. “Obviously, there are lots of executive orders that were sent out—continue to be sent out—and tariffs on, tariffs off.”

It’s been “all hands on deck these last several months,” he added.

“Business loves certainty, and these are very much uncertain times with a lot of new players,” Reed said. “Folks have been looking for steady hands. Alpine has been doing that type of work for nearly 30 years.”

Reed said Alpine’s goal is to “lead clients through the process, the people, and the politics,” whether they’re navigating Washington for the first time or ready to scale a presence that already exists.

But when to call?

Alpine works with companies navigating Washington—from urgent federal issues to long-term growth strategies, according to Reed and Brown. The firm has nearly 30 years of experience advising clients on policy, regulation, funding, procurement, and access across both chambers of Congress and multiple agencies.

For executives unfamiliar with this kind of work, the idea of hiring a government affairs firm can feel opaque. What does that really look like?

Alpine’s clients range from large public companies with full internal teams to fast-growing private firms with no Washington presence at all. Some are well-established players. Others arrive at a turning point—expanding into new sectors, facing emerging regulatory pressures, or realizing they need a federal strategy.

“There are a number of companies that will arrive at our doorstep because they reached a point where they really want to grow on the federal side, and they want to do business with the government, and they have no idea how to go about that,” Brown said. He added that many of these firms have matured enough to consider federal markets, contracting, or deeper compliance needs.

“It’s not always about fixing a problem,” he said. “Often, they’re actually being strategic and trying to figure out, ‘Okay, we’ve had a very successful business here… We’re privately owned, but it’s time to grow and move into a growth direction. How do we do that?'”

Serving crisis response and proactive strategy

Reed describes Alpine’s services as roughly falling into two categories: crisis response and proactive strategy.

“In some ways, there are two camps,” she said. “One, where it’s a hospital—so people, from a government affairs perspective, might be having the toughest day of their corporate life. Whether it’s a tariff you didn’t expect, a regulation you didn’t expect, and you need help immediately with the federal government. And you can come to us.”

“Or the second camp—which we love—is forward-looking,” she added. “You realize that your business absolutely intersects with Washington, and you need people that know their way around, that operate with integrity, that can show you the growth, and know the process and procedure and the people and the politics. And can lead you through it.”

Brown emphasized that there’s rarely a single moment that prompts engagement—but often, companies just need help recognizing the shift. “We help educate them,” he said.

“There’s really not a tipping point,” he noted. “Maybe it’s time to have a presence in Washington and to be engaged in the game, versus simply reading about it and being concerned and wanting to know what they can do.”

Looking ahead

According to OpenSecrets, Alpine Group worked with 104 clients in 2024, generating $18.59 million in revenue. Its parent company, Public Policy Holding Company, reported continued growth in early 2025, with Alpine maintaining its top 20 position in Q1.

Now, as it extends that momentum into Dallas-Fort Worth—it sees early presence as a strategic advantage. While Alpine doesn’t claim to be the first Washington government affairs shop to establish a North Texas footprint, Reed acknowledges they’re “if not the first, one of a handful”—and proud to be ahead of the curve.

“When you think about the 20 or so Fortune 500 that are here—the emerging markets, not only financial services, but the life sciences, industry, innovation, semiconductors… this incredible opportunity happening here,” Reed said. “I think the smart money is on the Dallas cohort.”

As Brown considers success metrics a year from now, his focus remains relationship-driven: “Being at the right events, being able to have conversations and attend things that, candidly, we just haven’t been able to do before. We’re able to build relationships with some of the fast-growing companies … [and with others] looking to relocate here—we want to be a part of that.”

For a firm built on understanding both policy and people, that personal presence may prove to be Alpine’s most valuable Texas asset.

The firm is betting on Dallas-Fort Worth not just as a market, but as a policy engine.

“America’s economic future is being shaped by Texas,” Reed said in the firm’s official announcement. And Alpine intends to help shape it.

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