20+ years

LNE Group WV has deep and long-term relationships with Members of the State Legislature and the Executive Branch of West Virginia Government. We can get to just about anyone in West Virginia Government.

With years of experience in communications, marketing, and political campaign management, Ryan Lemmon has worked his way to becoming an expert communications advisor and political consultant. Starting his career in marketing and advertising in 2010, Ryan founded a successful advertising agency and political campaign management firm in Charleston, West Virginia in 2020. Since then, Ryan was appointed to the position of Executive Director of the West Virginia Job Creators Alliance, a 501c6 organization advocating for pro job growth policy reform throughout the region. As a political advisor on multiple statewide and legislative campaigns, Ryan has established himself as a trustworthy consultant and advisor for many of those in the West Virginia legislator. Upon the expansion of the LNE Group to West Virginia, Ryan now serves as the Vice President of Government Affairs for LNE WV representing a wide range of industries including healthcare, manufacturing, and energy.

MIKE TOMAN is responsible for the firm's day-to-day business operations. He is known for keen attention to detail and a grasp of such varied fields as health care, organizational budgeting, and procurement processes. Mike has been with The Success Group since 2000. Prior to joining The Success Group, he spent five years lobbying as a senior policy analyst with the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, worked for the Ohio Legislative Budget Office, and worked for the Ohio Supreme Court. Mike served as President of the Ohio Lobbying Association (OLA) and was a member of the OLA Board of Trustees for seven years. Currently, Mike serves on the Board of Trustees for The Advocacy Group (TAG) and on The Ohio State University's President's Advisory Board. Mike sits on select alumni committees at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs' Alumni Advisory Committee. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Criminal Justice at Eastern Michigan University and a Master of Public Administration at The Ohio State's John Glenn College.

The TAG network consists of the top lobbying firms across the US, public affairs specialists in various countries and specialty services.

US Members:
50-States
DC Council
US Congress

International:
Profile Consulting (Aust) Pty Ltd (Australia)
Tactix (Canada)
Monarch Global Strategies (Mexico, Central & South America)
Kesarev (Russia, CIS, Central Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Turkey & Israel)
Instinctif Partners (United Kingdom & the European Union)

Specialty members:
Five Corners Strategies (Grassroots Advocacy & Public Affairs)
FOCUS, a Leonine Business (50-State Legislative & Regulatory Tracking & Analysis)
Select Litigation (Jury Selection)
Bullpen, LLC (Market Entry Strategy)
The Virtuous Cycle Collaboratory (Social Enterprise Business Development)
Law Offices of Mitchell D. Gravo, Inc. (Specialty Member)

Legislative Aide to Representative Keith Faber, Ohio House of Representatives, Columbus, OH

Coordinated annual Economic Development Summit engaging business leaders, elected officials and state agency representatives throughout a seven-county area to discuss business expansion and incentive programs
Attended House committee meetings, gave legislative updates and conducted briefings with district-elected officials
Wrote and created speeches, press releases, newsletters, mailings and constituent responses

Legislative Intern/Page to Congressman John Boehner, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC

Distributed inter-office communications for entire Republican House delegation
Assisted with media correspondence and legislative updates

20+ years

LNE Group WV has deep and long-term relationships with Members of the State Legislature and the Executive Branch of West Virginia Government. We can get to just about anyone in West Virginia Government.

Lee Weingart is the Chairman and Founder of LNE Group and President of LNE Group West Virginia. Since 2002, Lee has cultivated LNE Group, his self-started, two-person business, into what is now one of the top advocacy and lobbying firms with transatlantic reach in the region.

In 2023, Lee founded LNE Group West Virginia as a Charleston-based state and federal government advocacy firm to bring the successes realized by LNE Group around the country and in Europe to clients in West Virginia.

Prior to founding LNE Group, Mr. Weingart served in various public and private positions. From 1995 to 1997, he served as County Commissioner in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States of America. Cuyahoga County is the second largest county in Ohio and is among the 30 largest counties in the nation. At 28, Mr. Weingart was one of the youngest people ever to serve as county commissioner.

Mr. Weingart received his juris doctor degree, with honors, from The George Washington University National Law Center in 1991. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in economics and management from DePauw University in 1988.

Lee is married to Caroline Weingart, nee Emrick. They have three children, Lizzie, Ned and Ethan, who collectively are LNE Group's namesake.

Scott has spent more than twenty five years representing individuals, corporations and governmental entities before key decision makers in the governmental and regulatory arenas in Ohio. Scott uses his extensive experience and knowledge to represent the firm's clients on a broad array of public policy issues before legislative and regulatory bodies.

Prior to joining McNees Wallace & Nurick, Scott worked as a Deputy Legal Counsel in the Ohio Governor's Office, a senior executive assistant to the Mayor of the City of Columbus and as a legislative staff member in both the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate. Scott has also represented telecommunication providers and the Ohio Association of REALTORS before the Ohio General Assembly and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

He is a Member in the Energy and Environmental, Governmental Relations, Oil & Natural Gas, and Pipeline and Oil/Gas Infrastructure Practice Groups at McNees. He is the Member in Charge of the Columbus Office.

Kevin is a Technical Specialist in the Columbus, Ohio office of McNees Wallace & Nurick and is the Executive Director of the Industrial Energy Users-Ohio. He focuses on monitoring and evaluating regulatory proceedings at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and various state agencies; provides analysis of proposed tariff or rate offerings; assists in the development of regulatory and commercial strategies; and provides clients' assistance in utility contract negotiations, utility and site selections for new facilities, competitor analysis and analysis of customer usage patterns. He has been active in the creation of regional transmission organizations and presently serves on the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc.'s Advisory Committee.

Prior to joining the firm, Kevin spent twelve years with The Timken Company managing a 20,000 DTH per day natural gas portfolio for the company's Midwest facilities and participated in natural gas, pipeline and electric utility contract negotiation. As the company's member representative at the Electricity Consumers Resource Council (ELCON) and Process Gas Consumers (PGC), he helped develop regulatory advocacy positions and worked with outside counsel representing the company in regulatory proceedings. Kevin held several additional supervisory positions at The Timken Company, where his duties included performing computer modeling and cost analysis to provide product pricing support for marketing, and also managing raw materials, logistics and management information systems in steelmaking operations.