For these Nevada lobbyists, politics is a family affair

RENO — When Tommy Ferraro was in grade school, he got to follow his dad to work.

Unlike most of the other kids in his grade, Ferraro’s follow-your-dad-to-work day saw him walking into the Nevada Legislature building on Carson Street in the capital. He was joined by his father, Greg Ferraro, who was the president of government and public affairs at R&R Partners at the time.

During his visit, the younger Ferraro found himself seated next to then-Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson.

“I sat next to him with my made-up lobbyist’s badge that the front office made me, and I got to watch and observe the proceedings in the early 2000s. And from that memory on, I just knew I wanted to dive in,” Ferraro said.

Having the opportunity to follow in a family member’s footsteps and carry on the legacy of their work is a dream many envision but few realize. In the Nevada political sphere, however, many have successfully taken up the helm and followed their parents into the world of lobbying.

Lobbyists advocate for the interests of their clients in an attempt to influence how lawmakers write, pass, and very often, kill laws. Nearly all entities hire lobbyists, from municipal governments to nonprofits to corporations, and lobbyists often serve as a liaison between those groups and elected officials.

Even before joining his father’s firm, the Ferraro Group, becoming a lobbyist was Ferraro’s dream job since “Day 1.”

“I’ve kind of been in this world my entire life,” he said. “My dad and I have always joked that like, I’ve been learning this business, this industry through osmosis. You don’t even know you’re learning it until you’re in it.”

Greg Ferraro formed the Ferraro Group in 2004, where he serves as president. The firm’s clients include Apple, Cox Communications and the Las Vegas Raiders, among others.

For the younger Ferraro — and many other second-generation lobbyists — exposure to Silver State politics and the Legislature started early.

Politicians at dinner

That’s true for John Sande IV, who remembers legislators coming over to his house for dinner when he was a kid.

“I just remember from a very young age being fascinated when our schools would go on field trips to the Legislature and know that my father was a part of it,” Sande said. “I just thought it was a really cool thing that he did and definitely had a lot of influence in my path,” he said.

Sande, a founding partner at Argentum Partners, initially shied away from lobbying despite his interest to avoid any rumors of nepotism. After a few years, he got his foot in the door and began lobbying during the 2007 legislative session.

Now-retired John Sande III formerly worked as an attorney at the well-known Jones Vargas law firm, which later was absorbed by Fennemore Craig, where he served as director. Among other groups, the elder Sande represented the Nevada Franchised Auto Dealers Association, a client that the younger Sande now represents at Argentum Partners.

The firm also represents several other clients, most notably the Las Vegas Sands Corp., Grand Sierra Resort and the Southern Nevada Health District, among others.

Nick Vassiliadis also remembers going to the Legislative Building with his father, Billy Vassiliadis, when he was a kid.

“Almost everything I know in terms of lobbying comes from him,” he said.

Both Nick and Billy Vassiliadis work at R&R Partners, where the senior Vassiliadis is partner and CEO. R&R Partners is one of the largest advertising and public affairs firms in the state, and its government affairs division represents major interests including NV Energy, the Nevada Resort Association and the Nevada Mining Association.

Roundabout paths

Others followed in their parents’ footsteps purely by a luck of the draw.

Jesse Wadhams, who currently works at Black & Wadhams Law with his father, James Wadhams, started out in car sales after graduating college. After some time working in Washington, D.C., and with the Nevada attorney general’s office, he ended up at the same firm as his father, where they represent clients including the Nevada Rural Electric Association, Nevada Hospital Association and the Vegas Chamber.

For Nick Vander Poel, the principal of Flynn Giudici Government Affairs, following in his mom’s footsteps was never part of the plan. He ended up at the same firm as his mom, Mendy Elliott, at the end of the 2015 legislative session after several other stints in politics, including working in former Gov. Jim Gibbons’ administration.

After working as a partner at Capitol Partners for over eight years, Elliott left the firm and joined Flynn Giudici late last year, where she serves as its senior vice president of regulatory affairs.

In a category all his own, Will Adler began working with his father, former Assemblyman Ernst “Ernie” Adler, after starting his own firm. The younger Adler started Silver State Government Relations in 2017, a business that both his mother and father subsequently joined. Among the firm’s clients are the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245 and the Sierra Cannabis Coalition.

Even Adler, who didn’t follow in his parents’ footsteps into the lobbying world, grew up in a household where politics were a near constant topic of discussion.

“I would say just having it at a young age at the table, really makes you understand the Nevada unique special sauce when it comes to legislation that truly can’t be taught. It has to be experienced, to be passed on,” he said.

Regan Comis, on the other hand, jumped into working with her father, Keith Lee, during the legislative session in 2009 after graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno.

“One of the first things he told me was, your word is the one thing you have going into that building, and so you never break it,” she said.

Lee works as a senior adviser at Tom Clark Solutions.

‘An advantage’ and a challenge

Sharing names with another well-known lobbyist has its perks beyond just mentorship and guidance.

Comis, who currently works at R&R Partners, said being “Keith’s daughter” definitely gave her an advantage early in her career.

“I think being a very young lobbyist, people took meetings with me that maybe they wouldn’t have because they were doing so because that was Keith’s daughter,” she said.

For Chase Whittemore, a partner at Argentum Partners, sharing Harvey Whittemore’s name added pressure but never made him nervous.

“I could call him anytime I wanted and ask him questions about how this works or how that legislative process works,” he said. “Having my dad being a phone call away was a big benefit.”

Chase Whittemore began lobbying through an externship while at the Boyd Law School at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He was able to jump into the experience, in part, because of contacts he had known his entire life through his father.

Harvey Whittemore was found guilty in 2013 of funneling over $133,000 in unlawful contributions into then-U.S. Sen. Harry Reid’s 2007 re-election committee. Harvey Whittemore served 21 months of his two-year prison term and was released in 2016.

Despite the conviction, Chase Whittemore said he was “honored” to be recognized by his father’s name.

“My dad made a mistake, and he paid dearly for it, serving the hardest 20 months he or my mother could have endured,” Chase Whittemore said. “Anyone who knows and loves him believes that moment in time didn’t tarnish his professional legacy, to say nothing of his philanthropic legacy of giving millions to the University of Nevada and charities throughout the state,” he said in an emailed statement. “I’m beyond blessed that I get to be his son, and I couldn’t be more proud of who he is.”

Sande — who doesn’t just share his dad’s last name, but his entire name — said his father’s reputation helped him early in his career.

“My ability to work in Carson City as quickly as I was, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it had a large thing to do with my father’s reputation and his name,” he said.

Despite his father’s success, Sande said it wasn’t his family putting pressure on him, but rather himself. One of the hardest things was making a name on his own, which can be hard when you’re the fourth John Sande.

“I think (for) a lot of the lobbyist kids, that’s kind of a challenge that we’ve all had to face in different ways. How do we carve a name for ourselves because you can only be John Sande’s kid for so long,” he said.

The struggle to differentiate themselves from their parent isn’t the only difficulty facing those trying to break into the industry.

Nick Vassiliadis, who said sharing his father’s name opened doors for him “1,000 percent,” said his name also brought heightened expectations.

“There was no doubt that it comes with advantages that newcomers with maybe an unknown last name doesn’t have. I’d also offer that it comes with also a much-heightened magnifying glass on what you’re doing than maybe what a person who was less well known is doing,” he said.

Wadhams said despite there being “no question” that he benefited from his dad’s relationships and experience, he still made an effort to approach the job from the ground up.

“While I may have gotten to start on second base, I didn’t want to approach it that way. I wanted to start at the beginning right and sit in the committee room and take notes on the testimony,” he said.

‘Which hat are we wearing?’

And working with a parent comes with its own difficulties, too.

For Adler, who works with both his mom and dad, the relationship can be less than smooth.

“I’d say there’s great joy working with a parent, but there’s always terrible hardships when it comes to ever trying to work with your parents. Try to tell your mom or dad what to do and see what happens and they almost immediately do the opposite of what you said,” he said.

For the Vassiliadis family, a few bumps in the road early on eventually gave way to a good rhythm in recent years.

“It can be difficult to navigate. Like, which hat are we wearing? Are we father-son right now? Are we talking as friends or are we talking as employee-employer?” he said.

Nick Vassiliadis said he feels “very lucky” to work with his dad despite those early difficulties.

“I feel very lucky and very special that not only do I get to work for someone who’s considered the top of his field, but he’s also my dad, and he’s also my best friend,” he said.

Vassiliadis said he doesn’t feel like he is living in his father’s shadow, but instead feels “empowered” by him.

Bobby Ernaut, who first started working at R&R Partners at 17 years old and was later hired by the firm after graduating from UNR, said he wasn’t nervous to follow in the footsteps of his father. His dad, Pete Ernaut, serves as the chief government affairs officer at R&R Partners and is a former state assemblyman.

“It gives you a lot of confidence and pride, knowing that he has come before you and he’s accomplished these great things, he said. “Maybe for some people, you’re worried that you will not ever really live up to the success of your predecessor, but to me, I just want to be a good steward of the legacy that he’s created and in my own fashion.”

The Review-Journal is owned by the Adelson family, including Dr. Miriam Adelson, majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., and Las Vegas Sands President and COO Patrick Dumont.

Contact Taylor R. Avery at TAvery@reviewjournal.com. Follow @travery98 on Twitter.