Cornerstone Chronicles: A Year of Impact
Welcome to the December Edition of The Briefing Room—your inside look at a sampling of client successes that defined 2025. From securing national headlines for America’s VetDogs and driving record-breaking engagement at Zeeco Oktoberfest Tulsa, to elevating United Launch Alliance’s CEO in conversations with Capitol Hill leaders, these examples showcase the range of industries and challenges we help navigate. Whether managing high-stakes media inquiries or shaping policy discussions at national conferences, Cornerstone’s strategic approach ensures our clients’ voices are heard and their reputations protected in today’s fast-moving landscape.
That same commitment to impact extended beyond communications. Cornerstone’s Strategic Philanthropy & Community Investment team helped clients deploy more than $55 million in targeted grants and partnerships this year, supporting nearly four dozen organizations across 10 states and Washington, D.C. These investments are advancing high-impact work in education, public safety, housing, mental and behavioral health, and substance use treatment—helping communities address both immediate needs and long-term systemic challenges. By aligning philanthropic dollars with data, local insight, and policy awareness, Cornerstone ensures our clients’ giving is not only strategically aligned with their business objectives, but genuinely transformative in the communities where they operate.
Dive in to see how our work made a difference in 2025.
Throughout the year, we worked with Zeeco Oktoberfest Tulsa as it became the first back-to-back winner of USA Today’s Best Oktoberfest in America. Cornerstone Public Affairs provided on-site media relations and crisis communications support throughout the festival, securing multiple live news segments and feature stories highlighting the volunteers who make the event possible. KOTV: From volunteer to leader: How one man built a family at Oktoberfest KJRH: “It’s just amazing”: Woman volunteers for Oktoberfest for 38 years.
In October, Cornerstone Public Affairs principals Kirsten West, Matt Paul, and Jimmy Centers took the stage at a national conference of small business owners to offer federal policy insight, counsel on how to effectively advocate for policy in today’s political environment, and best practices for engaging with the media.
Our team helped America’s VetDogs (AVD) secure impactful Veterans Day coverage across national and local media. AVD President and CEO John Miller appeared on CBS News, FOX News, and NewsMax to spotlight the organization’s mission and the transformative role service dogs play in veterans’ lives. Compelling stories from veterans—including Kelly Knox, Neil Duncan, and Christina “Risti” Keith—highlighted how these partnerships restore independence, confidence, and emotional well-being within their communities. America’s VetDogs remains dedicated to providing highly trained service dogs at no cost to veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders.
In 2025, Cornerstone Government Affairs’ joint government relations and public affairs client, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), partnered with Punchbowl News, a leading news source on Capitol Hill and within the Trump Administration. This collaboration put ULA CEO, Tory Bruno, front and center with U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). This event reached more than 353,900 people through live viewers, Punchbowl newsletter cards, and social sharing, including 6,983 on Twitter/x and more than 400 attendees registering to attend in-person. Additional media covered the event outside of Punchbowl, including Axios, Space Policy Online, Aviation Week, Tax Notes, FOX, Technology News and Literature, Ars Technica.
Navigating a Challenging New York Times Story — Protecting a Client’s Reputation
This year, we also helped a data-center client successfully manage a high-stakes New York Times inquiry focused on community impacts. From the outset, our team engaged in intensive media relations with the reporter—directly challenging flawed assumptions, correcting misleading claims, and grounding the conversation in verifiable facts.
We equipped the journalist with clear data on the facility’s economic and community benefits, addressed alleged operational issues head-on, and countered misinformation circulating locally. While the story remained tough, our proactive engagement ensured balanced context, protected the client’s reputation, and reinforced the importance of transparent, fact-driven communications in an increasingly complex media environment.
Advocacy in Action: Elevating Rural Priorities Nationwide
Our team has partnered with a leading agricultural organization to amplify policy priorities through targeted media engagement. Leveraging a national advocacy network and select industry voices, we’ve driven impactful narratives on issues like farm labor, trade, and rural economic stability. To date, this effort has reached more than 3 million in combined circulation and social reach. Recent highlights include messaging around the Farm Bill, immigration challenges, and global trade disruptions—ensuring policymakers hear directly from those shaping America’s agricultural future.
Over the past five years, Cornerstone team members Matt Paul and Katelyn Anderson have had the opportunity of supporting communication efforts for the USS Iowa SSN 797. Working alongside ship sponsor Christie Vilsack and the incredible crew of the USS Iowa, they helped bring attention and awareness to key milestones in the life of this Virginia-class submarine—from the christening to public visits to Iowa and, ultimately, the commissioning.
On April 5, Matt and Katelyn had the privilege of attending the commissioning ceremony in Groton, Connecticut, where the USS Iowa SSN 797 was formally welcomed into service as a Virginia-class fast-attack submarine.
We’re proud to have played a small part in this historic journey, and we’re deeply greatly for the partnership, leadership and dedication of the volunteer members of the Commissioning Committee for the USS Iowa SSN 797.
Hidden Level CEO Jeff Cole recently joined Noah Sheinbaum on the Crossing the Valley podcast to share insights on defense innovation and the future of low-altitude airspace security. In the discussion, Jeff highlighted a commercial-first approach to dual-use technology—built on subscription models, modularity, and speed at scale—and explored how these strategies are shaping solutions for both commercial and government sectors. You can listen to the full episode here.
Cornerstone was recently honored as a finalist for the 2025 Ragan PR Daily Communications Award – one the of the most prestigious honors in the public relations industry. The recognition celebrates our Public Affairs team’s outstanding work in media relations for our client, Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America.
Our Public Affairs team wishes you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season filled with warmth and happiness. Here’s to a fantastic holiday season and an even more successful year ahead!
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