What Issues Management Group does

Issues Management Group (IMG) is a privately held, Boston-based strategic communications and public affairs firm founded in 2003, operating as "New England's leading agency for mission-focused organizations." It sells senior-level counsel across four core service lines — Crisis Communications, Public Affairs & Lobbying, Strategic Communications, and Digital/Marketing — delivered through eight sector practices: Healthcare, Real Estate, Corporate, Higher Education, Energy, Public Service, Mission-Focused (nonprofits and foundations), and Cannabis. The firm serves enterprise clients, state and quasi-public agencies, and large nonprofits, with disclosed engagements spanning Atrius Health, Massachusetts DCF, the Northeast Clean Energy Council, Beacon Capital Partners, Related Beal, Perkins School for the Blind, Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Transportation for Massachusetts, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, Community Care Coalition, and Rockland Trust.

The business is a labor-intensive professional services model rather than a technology platform; core technology is characterized as "not applicable," and value is delivered through practitioner expertise, media and political relationships, and senior-led engagement teams. Revenue mechanics rely on project-based and retainer fees for consulting engagements, with custom pricing tied to scope, client size, and complexity. Go-to-market is direct and sales-led, initiated through website forms, referrals, and case-study marketing rather than resellers or self-service channels. Documented outcomes include the defeat of Massachusetts Question 1 (70.4% opposed), withdrawal of a $2.4 billion healthcare expansion application, and 200-300+ earned media placements for individual campaigns, evidencing a track record in high-stakes narrative and policy work.

Operationally, IMG runs a multi-channel brand presence (sector blogs, social, the "& Then Some!" podcast, an annual yearbook, and case studies) that functions as top-of-funnel demand generation. The firm is independently owned with no disclosed parent, institutional investor, or venture backing, and operates primarily within Massachusetts and the broader New England/Northeast region. Headcount is reported at 51-100, and the leadership team is anchored by CEO Dan F. Cence and CFO Steve McElhinney, supported by a bench of sector VPs and account leads.

Name

Issues Management Group

Legal name

Issues Management Group

Website

https://issuesgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Issues Management Group is a Boston-based strategic communications and public affairs firm providing crisis communications, public affairs, strategic communications, and digital marketing services to enterprise, government, and mission-focused clients across eight sectors including healthcare, real estate, education, energy, and cannabis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations and Strategic Communications Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Crisis Communications & Issues Management (BPAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crisis Communications & Issues Management (MPAAADAF), PR, Corporate Communications & Crisis Management (BPAFAAAL)

Keywords

• Strategic communications
• Crisis communications
• Public affairs lobbying
• Media relations
• Digital marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Consulting: Professional services revenue generated through consulting engagements for crisis communications, public affairs, and strategic communications. Fees are project-based or retainer arrangements with enterprise and government clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Issues Management Group is a Boston-based public relations and strategic communications firm providing senior-level counsel across four core service areas: Crisis Communications, Public Affairs & Lobbying, Strategic Communications, and Digital/Marketing Services. These services are delivered through eight sector specializations including Healthcare, Real Estate, Corporate, Higher Education, Energy, Public Service, Mission-Focused (nonprofits), and Cannabis. The firm operates on a project-based and retainer consulting model, with engagements tailored to client-specific reputational, policy, and communications challenges.

Product overview

Issues Management Group is a PR and marketing firm offering professional services rather than a software product platform. The firm provides a unified suite of communications and advisory services organized around four core service areas: Crisis Communications, Public Affairs & Lobbying, Strategic Communications, and Digital/Marketing Services. These core services are delivered across eight specialized sector practices: Healthcare, Real Estate, Corporate, Higher Education, Energy, Public Service, Mission-Focused (nonprofits), and Cannabis. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, and positions itself as strategic counsel for organizations navigating complex public relations challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crisis Communications Guiding organizations through the most difficult challenges and achieving the best possible outcomes during crises, including crisis communications plan development, media training, tabletop exercises, and reputation protection.
• Public Affairs & Lobbying Navigating complicated legislative and regulatory issues with senior counsel and decades of experience, including policy advocacy, coalition building, and regulatory communications.
• Strategic Communications Shaping stories and leveraging relationships in a rapidly changing media landscape, including narrative development, media relations, executive visibility, and reputation management.
• Digital/Marketing Services Creating compelling content that stands out amid the noise, including social media campaigns, video production, and digital advertising.

Quantifiable outcome

• Defeated nurse staffing ballot initiative from 30 points behind to winning by over 40-point margin (70.4% voted against)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Largest global public relations firm offering crisis communications, public affairs, healthcare, and corporate communications; competes with IMG on enterprise healthcare, real estate, and corporate mandates but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
• BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe): Global communications agency offering public affairs, crisis communications, healthcare, and corporate reputation services — a broad incumbent that overlaps with IMG's full service mix but at much larger scale and with multinational capabilities.

Direct peers

• ROKK Solutions: Public affairs firm built by Democratic political operatives offering government relations, crisis communications, and strategic counsel — directly comparable on IMG's political talent moat and public affairs/campaign advocacy work.
• BerlinRosen: National public affairs and strategic communications firm with deep progressive political DNA, comparable emphasis on crisis communications, campaign-style advocacy, and mission-driven clients across nonprofit, labor, education, and real estate sectors.
• Marathon Strategies: New York-based public affairs and strategic communications firm offering crisis communications, media relations, and government affairs — comparable on IMG's core services mix and ability to support contested policy and corporate campaigns.
• FGS Global: Global crisis communications, public affairs, and strategic communications firm formed from the merger of Finsbury, Glover Park Group, and Sard Verbinnen — directly comparable on IMG's core crisis and public affairs offerings, though serving a larger national/international client base.
• Hager Sharp: Washington, DC-based PR and communications firm focused on mission-driven organizations, foundations, education, and nonprofit clients — a direct competitor in the mission-focused vertical that IMG positions as its category leadership.
• West End Strategy Team: Public affairs and strategic communications firm with deep political and White House alumni networks, comparable on IMG's senior political talent moat and public affairs/lobbying engagements for healthcare, education, and corporate clients.
• Rasky Partners: Boston-based public affairs, lobbying, and strategic communications firm with comparable Massachusetts/New England focus and similar mix of crisis communications, public affairs, and government relations services across healthcare, education, and corporate clients.
• The Harbour Group: Public affairs and strategic communications firm serving corporate, nonprofit, and association clients with senior-level counsel comparable to IMG's model, particularly on issues advocacy and stakeholder engagement campaigns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/issues_group
• Facebookfacebook.com/issuesgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/issues-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/issues_group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Issues Management Group