Experience You Can Count On
Drexwood's core competency is lobbying. Our team's in-depth knowledge of local, state, and federal government enables us to provide our clients with a blueprint for success in the public sector and a unique insight into what hazards to avoid. We use our political knowledge and experience to help our clients understand where they are, see where they need to go, and build a strategy for success here in Illinois. We help identify key public officials best suited to champion our clients' causes as we advocate on their behalf before the state legislature and Illinois's executive agencies. Our job is to get big things done at any level of politics, government, and public life.
2) AMROCK
3) ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS
4) BOTANICALS FOR BETTER HEALTH AND WELLNESS
5) CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES, INC.
7) CONDUENT INCORPORATED AND ITS AFFILIATES
9) DRONEDEPLOY
10) EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION CONSORTIUM
13) GTI-CLINIC ILLINOIS HOLDINGS, LLC
14) ILLINOIS PORTABLE TRUCK INSPECTION, INC
15) ILLINOIS RENTAL PURCHASE DEALERS ASSOCIATION
16) LAZARE, BEN
6-10 years
Paul joined Drexwood Partners in 2019 bringing 10 years of professional experience with him, including a half decade handling multi-state government affairs and running a U.S. government affairs operation for a multi-national company.
Adept at handling complex public policy issues, Paul began his early professional days working as a litigation paralegal for multiple law firms and working as a field organizer on a national campaign. To begin his government affairs career, Paul spent a short time in Washington D.C. working for a child welfare non-profit conducting policy research and organizing advocacy days.
Prior to joining Drexwood as Vice President, Paul served as Director of Government Relations for a publicly-traded company where he led U.S. federal and state government affairs for multiple business segments. While there he executed federal and multi-state government affairs strategies to support organizational goals across six businesses. This included managing federal appropriation and jurisdictional committee advocacy, a fifty state legislative tracking operation, and direct and indirect lobbying in over half a dozen states across the country. In addition to traditional government affairs work, Paul led the first company-wide global political risk assessment due to international expansion and re-designed the internal government affairs approach to also focus on brand development for business segments that found more value in an elevated presence among government officials.
With a broad range of policy experience in agriculture, education (Pre-K through postsecondary), child welfare, healthcare, insurance, and tech fields, Paul is prepared to tackle new and complex issues quickly to deliver results. He is passionate about government affairs — from traditional lobbying and strategy development to advocacy, coalition building, and policy research.
A native of mid-Missouri, Paul holds a M.A. in Political Science from University of Missouri, Kansas City and a B.A. in Pre-Law/Legal Studies from William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. He currently lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and two sons.
Experience You Can Count On
Drexwood's core competency is lobbying. Our team's in-depth knowledge of local, state, and federal government enables us to provide our clients with a blueprint for success in the public sector and a unique insight into what hazards to avoid. We use our political knowledge and experience to help our clients understand where they are, see where they need to go, and build a strategy for success here in Illinois. We help identify key public officials best suited to champion our clients' causes as we advocate on their behalf before the state legislature and Illinois's executive agencies. Our job is to get big things done at any level of politics, government, and public life.
2) AMROCK
3) ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS
4) BOTANICALS FOR BETTER HEALTH AND WELLNESS
5) CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES, INC.
7) CONDUENT INCORPORATED AND ITS AFFILIATES
9) DRONEDEPLOY
10) EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION CONSORTIUM
13) GTI-CLINIC ILLINOIS HOLDINGS, LLC
14) ILLINOIS PORTABLE TRUCK INSPECTION, INC
15) ILLINOIS RENTAL PURCHASE DEALERS ASSOCIATION
16) LAZARE, BEN
15-20 years
Mike founded Drexwood Partners LLC with the mission to merge government affairs with a business savvy approach. By drawing upon his nearly 15 years of experience in government and politics combined with 10 years of experience in finance and real estate, Mike is able to provide a unique perspective to his clients. As a registered lobbyist he works with government officials at the state, county and city level navigating the process to solve problems and achieve the desired results for his clients.
Prior to founding Drexwood, Mike served as executive vice president at All-Circo, Inc, a full service government affairs and lobbying firm. There he handled the needs of over 60 clients ranging from fortune 500 companies and small businesses to units of government, non-profits and associations across all sectors and issues. In addition to helping clients with their legislative and administrative goals, he provided counsel in regards to appropriations, regulation, procurement, and coalition development.
Mike was previously vice president at Chicago-based real estate development firm The Prime Group. Serving as a member of the capital markets group, he provided financial analysis, budgeting, and due diligence on real estate transactions as well as helped facilitate $400 million in financing for the JW Marriott mixed use development on LaSalle Street. He began his career in New York with Jefferies & Company on the institutional trading desk, providing sales trading coverage for corporate accounts and hedge funds.
Mike received a B.S. in Finance from Santa Clara University in 1998. He resides in Chicago with his wife, Liz, and two daughters.
