Stones River Group

What Stones River Group does

Stones River Group (SRG) is a Nashville-headquartered public affairs and strategic communications consulting firm founded in 2015 and co-founded by Mark Cate (President) and Stephen Susano (COO). The firm offers five integrated service lines: Government Relations & Lobbying, Public Relations & Communications, Business Development & Procurement, Coalition & Association Management, and Digital Strategy & Campaigns. Its clients include major corporations, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public entities operating primarily in Tennessee and across the southeastern United States. SRG does not maintain a proprietary technology platform; its offering is delivered through professional consulting engagements.

The firm's value proposition rests on personnel with direct prior experience in Tennessee state government and federal legislative bodies. This includes Mark Cate as former Chief of Staff to Governor Bill Haslam, Tony Niknejad as former Policy Director for Governor Bill Lee (2019-2023), Chris Gobble as former Legislative and Policy Director at the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Don Johnson with dual gubernatorial and Republican Party of Shelby County background, Jill Dickerson with U.S. Senate Commerce Committee experience, and Zoë Sams with Tennessee Department of Children's Services and District Attorney General's Office experience. The firm is also the creator and ongoing "backbone organization" for the Tennessee Business Leadership Council, a 501(c)(6) association of 65+ C-suite members that provides recurring engagement and a quasi-proprietary policy ecosystem.

SRG operates as a privately held firm with no disclosed outside investors or funding events. Revenue is generated through custom, quote-based professional services engagements with no publicly disclosed pricing. Several named engagements are multi-year (Nashville Yards development with Southwest Value Partners since 2016; TBLC since 2017), and the firm has won multiple Nashville PRSA Parthenon Awards including Best in Show in 2018 and 2023. Customer concentration risk is moderate: the firm serves a diverse mix of enterprise corporations, nonprofits, and government entities across multiple industries, but as an 11-person practice, a small number of anchor accounts likely account for a disproportionate share of revenue.

Name

Stones River Group

Legal name

Stones River Group

Website

https://stonesrivergroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stones River Group is a Nashville-based public affairs firm providing government relations, public relations, lobbying, coalition management, and digital campaign services to corporations, nonprofits, and public entities across Tennessee and the southeastern United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services Revenue: Fees generated from providing government relations and lobbying services, public relations and communications counsel, business development support, coalition management, and digital strategy services to corporate, nonprofit, and public sector clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stones River Group is an award-winning public affairs consulting firm that advises major companies, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public entities on state and local government relations, lobbying, public relations, strategic communications, business development and procurement strategy, coalition and association management, and digital campaigns. The firm sells five integrated service capabilities that can be combined into comprehensive public affairs engagements, delivered primarily in Tennessee and the southeastern United States.

Product overview

Stones River Group is an award-winning consulting firm offering five core service modules: Government Relations & Lobbying, Public Relations & Communications, Business Development & Procurement, Coalition & Association Management, and Digital Strategy & Campaigns. These services are offered as integrated consulting capabilities that can be combined to provide comprehensive public affairs, strategic communications, and business development solutions for clients ranging from major companies to non-profits and public entities in Tennessee and across the U.S.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Government Relations & Lobbying Helps clients successfully navigate state and local government landscapes through lobbying, policy analysis, legislative tracking, advocacy planning, and relationship development with policymakers and influencers. Designed for major companies, small businesses, nonprofits, and public entities with interests at the Tennessee state and local levels.
• Public Relations & Communications Develops and leads comprehensive communications strategies integrating media relations, thought leadership, brand building, and engagement to help clients tell their stories effectively and achieve their goals. Targets organizations needing media visibility, messaging, and stakeholder communications in Tennessee and beyond.
• Business Development & Procurement Provides roadmaps for profitable business pursuits including government procurement strategies, market positioning, strategic connections, and state and local market analysis. Built for companies — especially small businesses — seeking to win government contracts and expand in Tennessee markets.
• Coalition & Association Management Drives collaboration to deliver results by organizing and managing advocacy groups, combining different parties, passions, and perspectives into unified and successful efforts including non-profit formation and strategic planning. Designed for nonprofits, trade associations, and advocacy groups needing coalition leadership and association administration.
• Digital Strategy & Campaigns Develops and executes multifaceted digital campaigns targeted to generate measurable and scalable results, including goal setting, website traffic campaigns, lead generation, conversion-based strategies, and AI-driven audience development. Built for clients seeking measurable online advocacy, paid social, and lead-generation outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 117+ media mentions for Nashville Yards Pinnacle venue announcement including front-page headline in The Tennessean
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 notable and core.

• University of Tennessee Baker School of Public Policy and Public AffairsnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022SRG produces the 'You Might Be Right' podcast co-hosted by former Tennessee Governors Bill Haslam and Phil Bredesen. The podcast reached 100,000+ downloads in its first year and was covered by CNN and The Washington Post. SRG manages all research, guest recruitment, editing, branding, and promotional content for the podcast.
• Tennessee Business Leadership CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017SRG created and serves as the backbone organization for the Tennessee Business Leadership Council, a 501(c)(6) organization with 65+ C-suite members. SRG coordinates all organizational operations, membership meetings, policy research, and strategic communications for the TBLC, including partnerships with University of Tennessee and University of Memphis for policy research.
• Greater Nashville Regional CouncilnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017SRG represented the Greater Nashville Regional Council in lobbying efforts to amend the IMPROVE Act to include a local option for transit project referendums. The amendment was successfully passed and signed into law on April 26, 2017.
• Middle Tennessee Mayors CaucusnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017SRG represented the Middle Tennessee Mayors Caucus in coalition lobbying efforts to amend the IMPROVE Act, successfully securing the local option amendment for transit referendums.
• Southwest Value Partners (Nashville Yards Developer)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016SRG has provided comprehensive public relations, community engagement, and government affairs support to Southwest Value Partners for the Nashville Yards development since 2016. Services include strategic relationship building, media engagement, legislative counsel, charitable giving advisory, event planning, and digital strategy for the multi-billion dollar project.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rational 360: Full-service public affairs firm combining lobbying, public relations, digital, and coalition-building. Direct overlap with SRG's integrated service model and comparable client engagement structures.
• Forbes Tate Partners: Integrated public affairs and advocacy firm combining government relations, strategic communications, and digital campaigns. Closely mirrors SRG's five-service platform and similar enterprise/nonprofit client mix.
• DDC Public Affairs: Public affairs and lobbying firm offering strategic communications, advocacy campaigns, and coalition management. Comparable mid-sized peer with similar multi-service positioning and enterprise client base.
• Capitol Hill Consulting Group: Government affairs and lobbying firm with bipartisan federal and state-level practice. Comparable in terms of relationship-driven model and senior ex-government staff, though operating primarily at the federal level.
• Marathon Strategies: Public affairs and communications consultancy offering government relations, strategic communications, and digital strategy. Competes for the same corporate and association clients seeking integrated advocacy and PR support.
• The Conafay Group: Government affairs and strategic communications firm serving corporate, nonprofit, and association clients. Comparable boutique scale with similar integrated advocacy and PR delivery model.
• McNeely Pigott & Fox: Tennessee-based public affairs and PR firm offering government relations, media relations, and strategic communications. Closely matches SRG's service mix and regional footprint, with similar enterprise and association clients.
• The Ingram Group: Nashville-based government relations and public affairs firm with a similar Tennessee statehouse focus and integrated lobbying/PR offerings. Directly competes with SRG for Tennessee enterprise clients and is the most geographically and capability-aligned peer.

Broad incumbents

• BGR Group: Washington, DC-based bipartisan government affairs, public relations, and federal advocacy firm. Overlaps with SRG's lobbying and PR capabilities at the federal level and represents the type of larger incumbent SRG would compete against if expanding beyond Tennessee.

Emerging players

• LSquared Communications: Nashville-based public relations and communications firm with emerging public affairs capabilities. Adjacent peer in the same Tennessee market, partially overlapping with SRG's digital and PR offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StonesRiverGrp
• Facebookfacebook.com/StonesRiverGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stonesrivergroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/stonesrivergroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Stones River Group