Joe Tanner & Associates

What Joe Tanner & Associates does

Joe Tanner & Associates (JTA) is a Georgia-based governmental affairs and business consulting firm founded in 1997 by Joe D. Tanner, operating from a single headquarters in Greensboro, Georgia. The firm delivers an integrated suite of five professional services—Government Affairs (legislative and regulatory representation before the Georgia General Assembly and state agencies), Government Procurement (contract pursuit support), Environmental Services (permitting and compliance leveraging former state agency expertise), Business Development (strategic planning and procurement process design), and Strategic Communication (public affairs, media relations, and grassroots advocacy). JTA serves a roster that spans Fortune 500 enterprises (Georgia Power, General Electric, Southwire, Koch Cellulose, DSM, RBC Centura, Plum Creek Timber, Emory University/Healthcare, WellStar, Grady Hospital) and Georgia state and local government entities (Fulton County, City of Atlanta, multiple county water/sewer authorities), with no disclosed proprietary technology platform.

The firm's value proposition rests on the deep institutional experience of its team, anchored historically by Joe Tanner's 26 years in Georgia government under four governors, his two tenures as Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, and authorship of over 400 pieces of major legislation including the consolidation of 38 state agencies and creation of Georgia's one-stop environmental permitting system. Current President & CEO Jerry Keen contributes ten years in the Georgia House including service as House Majority Leader, while the broader team combines approximately 100 years of engineering, managerial, and executive experience within Georgia's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Division. Vice President Eric Bailey and Senior Associate Clelia Keen add further depth in government relations, political operations, and public policy across multiple Georgia institutions.

JTA operates a relationship-based, sales-led professional services model, generating revenue through project and retainer-based consulting fees. The firm employs four associates and grows primarily through reputation, professional referrals, and direct client engagement rather than formal marketing channels. The firm has been ranked among the top four governmental affairs firms in Georgia by James Magazine. Founder Joe Tanner passed away in November 2024 at age 86; the firm remains operating under Jerry Keen's continued leadership, with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or technology platform development in the source materials.

Name

Joe Tanner & Associates

Legal name

Joe Tanner & Associates

Website

https://joetanner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Joe Tanner & Associates is a four-person Georgia governmental affairs and consulting firm offering legislative representation, procurement support, environmental, business development, and strategic communication services to Fortune 500 enterprises and state and local government clients in Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Affairs Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

Keywords

• Governmental affairs consulting
• Government relations services
• Legislative advocacy consulting
• Government procurement consulting
• Environmental consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santiago

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services Revenue: Joe Tanner & Associates generates revenue through professional consulting fees for governmental affairs services. Services are billed on a project or retainer basis, including government affairs representation, procurement assistance, environmental consulting, business development, and strategic communication services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Joe Tanner & Associates is a Georgia-based governmental affairs and business consulting firm that provides legislative and regulatory advocacy, government procurement assistance, environmental consulting, business development strategy, and strategic communication services to enterprise clients and government entities. The firm leverages the political experience and statewide network of its associates to help clients navigate Georgia's General Assembly, state regulatory agencies, and local government processes. Services are delivered as professional consulting engagements on a project or retainer basis.

Product overview

Joe Tanner & Associates (JTA) is a professional services firm offering a unified suite of five interconnected consulting services centered on governmental affairs, public policy advocacy, and business development. The core offering is Government Affairs (legislative and regulatory representation), which is complemented by Government Procurement (government contracting support), Environmental Services (environmental consulting leveraging former state agency expertise), Business Development (strategic planning and organizational consulting), and Strategic Communication (public affairs, media relations, and grassroots advocacy). These services work together as an integrated consulting package designed to help clients navigate state and local government processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Government Affairs Legislative and regulatory advocacy and representation services before Georgia's General Assembly and state regulatory agencies, including issue monitoring, early warning systems, and guidance on permits and authorizations, for enterprise clients and government entities with Georgia interests.
• Government Procurement Targeted business procurement services to help clients win government contracts at state and local levels, including market identification, strategy planning, RFP responses, and bid proposal development, for enterprise clients pursuing Georgia government work.
• Environmental Services Environmental consulting services leveraging former state agency expertise, covering permitting, contaminated site projects, compliance, assessments, drinking water reservoir permitting, and environmental policy, for companies and government entities with environmental compliance needs in Georgia.
• Business Development Business development consulting including strategic planning, organizational evaluation, internal procedure analysis, procurement process design, vendor contract negotiation, and staff training, for enterprise clients operating in or adjacent to Georgia.
• Strategic Communication Communications services for public policy settings including issues management, opinion research, public policy research, collateral development, media relations, crisis management, ally development, grassroots advocacy, and mass communication campaigns, for clients engaged in Georgia government affairs and public policy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Savings and earnings of more than $1 billion for Georgia state government through privatization initiatives
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 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

One partnership is on record.

• Troutman Sanders StrategiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJerry Keen, now President & CEO of JTA, previously served as Senior Consultant of Strategic Development at Troutman Sanders Strategies before joining Joe Tanner & Associates. This represents a historical professional relationship between the two firms rather than an active partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dentons: Global law firm with a public policy and government affairs practice group serving Fortune 500 and government clients. Comparable in delivering integrated government affairs, regulatory, and procurement advisory across multiple industries.
• Holland & Knight: Large national law firm with a well-established government affairs and public policy practice, including a significant Atlanta office. Provides legislative advocacy, regulatory counseling, and procurement support comparable to JTA's service lines.
• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman: National law and public policy firm with a government affairs and regulatory practice serving energy, infrastructure, and government contractor clients. Comparable in environmental permitting, infrastructure, and government procurement advisory.
• Balch & Bingham: Southeast-based law firm with a substantial government affairs and regulatory practice covering Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. Directly comparable on government relations, environmental permitting, and energy utility representation.
• McGuire Woods Consulting: Government affairs and public affairs consulting arm of McGuireWoods LLP, providing state-level lobbying, strategic communications, and procurement advisory services. Comparable in service mix (government affairs + business development + communications) and operates in the Southeast.
• Eversheds Sutherland: International law firm with a public policy and government affairs practice. Provides integrated legislative, regulatory, and procurement advisory comparable to JTA's full service suite.
• Arnold & Porter: Global law firm with a prominent government affairs, regulatory, and public policy practice. Comparable on federal and state-level advocacy, environmental and energy regulatory matters, and Fortune 500 client engagement.
• Capitol Strategy Group: Georgia-based government affairs and lobbying firm focused on state-level legislative advocacy. Direct peer in size, geographic focus, and service offering to JTA's core government affairs practice.
• Troutman Pepper Locke (formerly Troutman Sanders Strategies): Major law and government affairs firm with a strong Atlanta and Georgia legislative practice. JTA's President & CEO Jerry Keen was previously Senior Consultant of Strategic Development at Troutman Sanders Strategies, making it the closest comparable peer with overlapping client base and service lines.

Regional players

• Smith, Gambrell & Russell: Atlanta-headquartered full-service law firm with a government and regulatory practice. Comparable in providing government affairs, environmental, and procurement services to Georgia-based corporations and municipalities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advisor-it-ltda

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Joe Tanner & Associates