A proud Arkansas native, Austin Grinder feels fortunate to spend his days at the State Capitol. For the last decade, he has spearheaded Mullenix & Associates’ research efforts, drafting legislation on behalf of and providing strategic counsel to the government relations and consulting firm’s clients. His steadfast commitment to professional excellence and philanthropic endeavors have earned him continued accolades in the state, including inclusion in Leadership Arkansas Class XII and Little Rock Soiree’s “Men on a Mission.” Today, he’s lending his innovative thinking and leadership skills to advance his industry as a member of NASL’s long-range planning and lobbying profession committee. Learn more about Austin in the Q&A below:
Tell us more about your day-to-day as an attorney and lobbyist for Mullenix & Associates.
Arkansas is one of a handful of states that operates on a biennial Regular Session schedule. During these concentrated periods of lawmaking, we see legislation move through the House and Senate chambers at a fast and furious pace. It’s our responsibility to keep clients and lawmakers informed throughout the process. Our firm remains just as busy when not in session, often focusing on longer-term projects, such as helping with procurement contracts, evaluating the impact of new rules or regulations, and more.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
In addition to building relationships with clients and partners, one of the components I enjoy most about our work is the variety of issues we learn about as we represent clients in front of the legislature. Our role is to serve as the bridge between parties, facilitating understanding—on both sides—through research and effective communication. This is where my background as an attorney is beneficial. It enables me to decipher and distill complex legislation or regulations for clients so they can easily understand the issue and how it may affect their interests.
You specialize in health policy, insurance, real property, and technology issues. What led to these focus areas?
I’ve been interested in many of these issues since law school and, for some, well before. Over the past decade and a half, we’ve seen the passage of historic legislation, particularly on the healthcare front, at the state and federal levels. I’ve closely followed these bills’ implementation, monitoring their downstream effect on various programs and markets. These laws are complex and not always understood, yet they affect our daily lives and help our society function. It’s reinforced my focus on shaping and helping stakeholders harness policies—from introduction through implementation—to be more efficient in operating state government.
What is Mullenix & Associates known for at the Arkansas State Capitol?
I credit our co-founders, Julie and Ted, for setting a high bar. They’ve built our reputation at the State Capitol as hard workers with strong ethics. Legislators know they can come to us for the full story on any piece of legislation. We do our research and put in the time and effort so we—and they—can understand the pros and cons. As a trusted resource to state government and industry leaders, we’ve also been on the front lines of historic economic development projects—Big River Steel, Highland Pellets, Zekelman Industries, GTL Americas…The list goes on. We’ve secured multi-billion-dollar investments that have created good-paying jobs, solidified our state’s economic future, and enhanced residents’ quality of life.
Mullenix & Associates is actively involved with NASL. What do you see as the greatest benefits of your firm’s membership?
When a challenging matter arises, I feel confident reaching out to a fellow NASL member to discuss potential approaches because they’ve likely confronted the same or similar situations in their states. Our overlap in issues, and sometimes in clients, enables us to be even more strategic and forward-thinking as individual firms and as a group.
Learn more about Mullenix & Associates at lobbyarkansas.com.