Gibbons & Company provides strategic counsel and a broad range of government relations services to global corporations and organizations to increase revenues, cut operating costs and gain competitive market advantages. Recent examples of the firm’s work include:
- For the leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of products made from amorphous alloys the firm developed U.S. Department of Defense funding for further testing and procurement programs for new high performance armor piercing ammunition and high performance aerospace applications. The Defense programs further validated the performance characteristics of the revolutionary new material and became the leading source of the company’s post IPO revenues. The firm also developed a comprehensive plan and ongoing program for the company to proactively protect and enhance its intellectual property (IP) assets in accord with its current and future business goals and potentially competitive position in the marketplace.
- For the nation’s third largest cancer research and treatment hospital, the firm has developed research initiatives and obtained more than $6 million annually in federal research and development funds over the past seven years. These specifically designated funds are appropriated directly to the hospital by federal law. The firm has also obtained a federal statutory exemption from the Medicare program’s prospective payment system (PPS) for patient treatment cost reimbursements for the center. This Medicare PPS exemption increases the cancer treatment hospital’s revenues by more than $5 million annually. The combined new revenues for the cancer treatment hospital for fiscal years 2001–2004 exceeded $16 million annually.
- For the world’s second-largest manufacturer of first aid products, the firm significantly enhanced the global competitiveness of the company by eliminating all U.S. import duties on its primary raw materials. Faced with decreasing revenues and profits as a result of surging imports of competing products, this worldwide leader of first-aid bandages and related products was facing a shutdown and relocation of its manufacturing operations to Mexico and the Philippines in order to remain competitive in the U.S. market. Gibbons & Company obtained a Federal statutory suspension of the U.S. Customs duty on all imports of the company’s self-adhesive tape and created a certified Free Trade Subzone for all other imported materials needed in the manufacturing operations. The elimination of all import duties allowed the company to reverse its plans to shut down its U.S. plant. The duty suspension savings to the company are in excess of $1 million. The company is currently able to compete in the U.S. market on parity with foreign imports and with growing profit margins.
- For the United State’s third largest trading country in Latin America, the firm advised the President, the National Security Council, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade on highly sensitive international trade matters. The firm’s client became decertified under the U.S. annual review of its anti-narcotics cooperation programs and the country faced billions of dollars of increased U.S. tariffs on its products exported to the U.S. Gibbons & Company provided overall communications coordination and direct advocacy to the highest-level trade policy officials in the Congress, federal agencies, and the Executive Office of the President. The country narrowly averted punitive trade sanctions potentially costing billions of dollars to its export businesses and to U.S. consumers. The U.S. Government recertified the country the following year, defusing a major bilateral trade dispute and litigation in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
- For the nation’s second largest public university system, the firm, during an eight year period, obtained over $185 million in new federal research and develop money for a wide range of medical, environmental, and new technology programs. The firm, working closely with each of the universities, developed and moved through the Congress multi-million-dollar proposals to create national centers of excellence at specific universities. This representation, evaluated annually by only how much federal money was obtained in the prior Congressional budget cycle, required very frequent and extensive interaction with the Appropriations Committees and the senior leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. These substantial new funds improved the university system’s national ranking by more than 25 percent.
- For the oldest and one of the most widely recognized insurance companies in the world headquartered in Europe, the firm has provided on-going strategic counsel on trade and tax policies that go to the core of this unique company’s ability to operate in the United States. The company, due to its historically uncommon business structure, has faced intensive pressure from the competing U.S. reinsurance industry regarding the tax treatment of its U.S.-sourced income. The firm assisted in the highly contentious negotiations of a complex business and tax agreement with the U.S. Government that has allowed the company to continue underwriting high-risk insurance of every description in the United States.
Other accomplishments for clients include:
- For a major pharmaceutical manufacturer, developed Childhood Vaccine Compensation Act and successfully lobbied through Congress, over vociferous opposition from the White House, to permit compensation to a small class of victims who suffer adverse reactions to childhood disease vaccines.
- A leading importer of high-end automobiles from Europe developed and lobbied for passage of legislation to restrict the importation of “gray-market” automobiles that did not meet U.S. safety standards.
- Duty suspension of a major cancer treatment drug from Europe, which significantly lowered cost to U.S. consumers and increased revenues for manufacturer.
- For the world’s largest beverage company, worked with NASA to develop a carbonated beverage dispenser to be used in space.
- The country’s first and largest pre-paid college program, crafted tax legislation and directly lobbied Congress to change the federal taxation of the state sponsored program and eliminated several major tax liabilities for both the purchaser and the beneficiary of such savings programs.
- For a major municipal transportation agency involving the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of a federal statute regarding third-party liabilities in a major class action tort case, developed legislation to restate the congressional intent of the law decided in the court decision and thereby negating the U.S. Supreme Court decision adverse to the agency.
- In the course of final NAFTA negotiations secured a ten-year transition amendment in the agreement for a “price snapback provision” allowing the immediate imposition of U.S. duties on the imports of citrus products from Mexico if the U.S. market dropped below certain commodity prices.
- For the largest importer of floral and perishable products from the Andean countries, developed a more streamlined U.S. Customs and U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection and clearance process to allow for more rapid and secure product importation procedures saving the importer company millions of dollars in air cargo transportation and security clearance costs.
- Significant reductions of foreign import duties and the elimination of non-tariff barriers on global food products for the world’s leading producer of cereal and convenience foods.
- For a leading homebuilding company, defeated a provision in the 2008 Housing Bill that would have expanded major tax breaks (NOLs) and would have provided a $25+ billion windfall tax rebate to competing money-losing homebuilding companies that were not profitable due to the downturn in the housing market.
- For the largest privately-held stadium and most profitable NFL franchise in the U.S., obtained emergency waiver of new Federal regulations prohibiting public transit agencies from providing charter bus service, if private companies are available, and allowed for a transition plan as a way to provide seamless service for game day transportation needs until alternative business options could be determined.