As companies scramble to get access to the federal government amid the coronavirus outbreak, lobbying firm Ballard Partners raked in record revenues in this year’s first quarter.

Ballard Partners received over $5.2 million from January through March, earning the seventh-highest revenue of all lobbying firms. It’s the firm’s biggest single quarter, up from $4.2 million and $4 million in the first quarters of 2019 and 2018, respectively. 

Run by Brian Ballard, a lobbyist with close ties to President Donald Trump, the firm has already been hired by 95 clients this year. In 2019, Ballard topped the list of largest clientele with 90 through the year. While some of the firm’s current clients are retained from last year, others hired Ballard Partners to lobby for their interests in the COVID-19 response. 

Audacious Inquiry, a health information technology company, reportedly pitched surveillance technology for monitoring COVID-19 cases directly to Vice President Mike Pence, Jared Kushner and Health and Human Services Director Alex Azar. The Baltimore-based company hired Ballard Partners on March 23, spending $30,000 on its efforts. 

NanoPure, a company seeking EPA approval for a disinfectant spray system, also hired the firm this year. Businesses from various industries sought the firm’s advocacy, including transportation companies Getaround and Bird Rides, and shaving equipment company Harry’s Inc. USA. 

A few of those clients got relief after Ballard Partners lobbied on their behalf. For instance, the Department of Homeland Security changed the word “employees” to “workers” in its updated guidance in March. That’s a big win for gig workers, including Getaround and Uber users, who were initially not eligible for unemployment benefits.

Ballard Partners also lobbied the DHS for Laundrylux in March. A week later, it designated “laundromats, laundry services, and dry cleaners” as critical businesses. Insurance giant Fidelity National Financial, which offers various insurance policies and commercial mortgages, hired the firm to keep county recorders working.

Sports betting platforms DraftKings and FanDuel hired the firm for regulatory relief, as well.

From having little lobbying presence in 2017, Ballard Partners quickly rose through the ranks to the top 10. The firm’s earnings hit a new high in 2019 at $18.9 million.  

Ballard, a longtime Florida lobbyist, has deep ties to Trump and his GOP allies. 

During the 2016 presidential election, Ballard was the chairman of Trump Victory, a pro-Trump joint-fundraising committee. After that, Ballard was selected to be the vice chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee and a part of the presidential transition finance committee.

The Republican National Committee named Ballard a financial vice chair in 2017 to help raise money for the 2020 cycle. He also made bundled contributions worth $835,000 for Trump’s joint fundraising committee. In the current cycle, Ballard and his family members contributed $124,000 to the RNC. 

Justin Sayfie, a lobbyist for the firm, told Business Insider that Ballard Partners never leverages or uses its connection to Trump and other government officials. “We never publicly or privately discuss people’s relationships with any public official. That’s not how we operate; it’s not part of our vocabulary,” Sayfie said.

Seven of the eight lobbyists in the firm have been in government positions. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi rejoined Ballard Partners last month after defending Trump during the impeachment trial. Previously, Bondi was a member of Trump’s presidential transition team.   

The spike in lobbying is industry wide. OpenSecrets’ analysis found that federal lobbying spending totaled $903 million in the first quarter of 2020 as companies reeled from the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.

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