Southwest Strategies

What Southwest Strategies does

Southwest Strategies, rebranded as Bodewell Group in February 2026, is an infrastructure-focused public affairs and public outreach firm headquartered in San Diego and founded in 2000. The firm serves government agencies, water districts, transportation authorities, investor-owned utilities, and private real estate developers across the western United States, providing strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and public outreach for projects in water, transportation, energy, technology, and sustainable living sectors. Named clients include the City of Richmond, Poseidon Water, Pacific Gas & Electric, SANDAG/Caltrans, and SunCal.

The firm operates from six offices and employs approximately 140 specialized communications professionals. Since receiving investment from Palladium Equity Partners in December 2022, the company has executed four acquisitions — Katz & Associates (2023), BergDavis Public Affairs (2024), Collaborate (2024), and Kiterocket (2025) — that have expanded its geographic footprint into Phoenix and Seattle and extended vertical capabilities into technology, semiconductors, and sustainable living. The February 2026 rebrand to Bodewell Group consolidates these legacy brands under a unified corporate identity.

The business model is project-based, fee-for-service professional services engagements. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Customer work is concentrated in infrastructure permitting, construction, and operation contexts where specialized local knowledge, stakeholder relationships, and regulatory navigation create high value relative to generalist PR alternatives. PE backing has funded both organic hiring and continued inorganic expansion, indicating the firm is in a platform-building phase.

Name

Southwest Strategies

Legal name

Southwest Strategies LLC

Website

https://swspr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Southwest Strategies (rebranded as Bodewell Group in February 2026) is an infrastructure-focused public affairs and public outreach firm serving government agencies, utilities, and developers across the western United States. Backed by Palladium Equity Partners since December 2022, the firm provides strategic communications for water, transportation, energy, technology, and sustainable living projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Services

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Public affairs consulting
• Infrastructure communications
• Community outreach services
• Government relations services
• Strategic communications firm

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Public Affairs Consulting: Project-based professional services for public outreach, community engagement, government relations, and strategic communications on infrastructure projects. Revenue generated through client engagements for government and private sector infrastructure projects.
2. Strategic Communications Services: Comprehensive communications services including government relations, public outreach, coalition building, entitlements support, crisis management, creative services, and media relations for infrastructure development projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southwest Strategies is a public affairs and public outreach firm that delivers strategic communications, community engagement, government relations, coalition building, crisis management, and creative services to support infrastructure projects for government agencies, water districts, transportation agencies, investor-owned utilities, and private developers across the western United States. Its integrated portfolio of acquired agencies serves sectors including transportation, water, energy, land use, technology, and sustainable living.

Product overview

Southwest Strategies Group operates as a unified portfolio of infrastructure communications agencies, combining acquired brands (Katz & Associates, BergDavis Public Affairs, Collaborate, Kiterocket) under the Southwest Strategies LLC core platform. The company offers comprehensive professional services spanning community outreach, public advocacy, construction relations, crisis management, and creative services. Together, these brands serve energy, transportation, water, land use, technology, and sustainable living sectors across the western United States, managing communications for infrastructure projects exceeding $20 billion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• $20 billion+ in infrastructure projects secured and built since 2000
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• KiterocketcoreOthers · 1 June 2025Kiterocket was acquired by SWS Group in June 2025. A public relations agency specializing in emerging technologies, semiconductors, renewable energy, and sustainability. Expands SWS Group's reach in the western United States and adds new service lines in technology and sustainable living.
• BergDavis Public AffairscoreOthers · 1 July 2024BergDavis Public Affairs (BDPA) was formed in 1999 and acquired by SWS Group in July 2024. A leading California public affairs firm based in San Francisco managing media relations, strategic communications and government affairs for top companies, brands, government agencies and non-profits.
• CollaboratecoreOthers · 1 July 2024Collaborate was formed in 2017 as a woman-owned strategic communications, community outreach and government relations firm acquired by SWS Group in July 2024. Experience in local, state and federal public affairs with extensive local relationships.
• Katz & AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2023Southwest Strategies invested in and partnered with Katz & Associates in September 2023, creating California's largest infrastructure communications firm with nearly 100 professionals. Katz & Associates delivers strategic communications, public involvement and community relations to advance essential projects, with nationally recognized expertise in water resources, transportation, environmental planning and land use.
• Katz & AssociatescoreOthers · 1 August 2023Katz & Associates was formed in 1985 and acquired by SWS Group in August 2023. One of the largest and most respected water communications firms in the United States with national outreach experts in water resources, transportation, environmental planning and land use.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mercury: Large public affairs firm offering strategic communications, government relations, and crisis management to corporate and public-sector clients; directly comparable service portfolio to SWS' core offerings.
• Tripepi Smith: California-based public affairs and community engagement firm serving similar government, infrastructure, and utility clients; comparable size and regional footprint to SWS / Bodewell Group.
• Kivvit: Public affairs and strategic communications firm with deep media, government relations, and stakeholder engagement capabilities; competes for similar mandates at the state and regional level.
• Subject Matter: Strategic communications and public affairs firm providing counsel on stakeholder engagement, infrastructure, and policy matters to public and private sector clients.
• The Saint Consulting Group: Public affairs and land-use approval consultancy that works with developers and municipalities on community engagement for real estate and infrastructure projects — overlapping with SWS' Point Molate and SunCal mandates.
• The Herald Group: Public affairs, government relations, and strategic communications firm with infrastructure and energy practice experience directly comparable to SWS' investor-owned utility and transportation work.

Emerging players

• Blueline Strategies: Smaller infrastructure-focused public affairs and community outreach firm; an emerging player that intersects with SWS' niche on infrastructure communications mandates.

Broad incumbents

• FleishmanHillard: Global PR firm with a sizable public affairs practice covering infrastructure, energy, and water; competes for larger enterprise mandates where SWS/Bodewell also bids.
• Edelman: World's largest PR firm with a dedicated public affairs and infrastructure communications practice; a key incumbent competitor for large-scale public outreach mandates.
• Weber Shandwick: Global communications agency with a public affairs practice spanning infrastructure, energy, and transportation; competes for marquee enterprise clients similar to PG&E and SANDAG.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SWSPR
• Facebookfacebook.com/southweststrategies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwest-strategies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southwest Strategies