SPRING NEWSLETTER | 2023

Summit Views

The latest in public affairs, healthcare, and ESG news.

Introducing the Summit Views Newsletter: Insights on the Issues that Matter Most.

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Summit Views Newsletter. In the spirit of the ethos that binds us here at Summit Strategy Group, this quarterly newsletter will share our views on the Issues that Matter Most. You can also visit our website to learn about our areas of expertise and interest.

As a California-based company, we have been transfixed by the rapid downfall of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). While the final chapter has yet to be written about what transpired and the competence of SVB leadership, much can be learned from the facts already on the table.

We are also paying close attention to how the Biden administration is navigating the energy landscape and balancing climate priorities with the impacts and shortages due to the continued war in Ukraine.

Tectonic shifts in our national banking system and the impact of geopolitics on our energy supply, in and of themselves, move markets, capture headlines and send shock waves through businesses large and small. We focus much of our attention on how well prepared the business community is for these moments of disruption.

Many of us at Summit have advised businesses as they navigate moments of crisis. Each of these instances is unique, but we have seen common attributes in companies that fare much better than others. We call this characteristic Reputational Resilience, and we are helping clients measure and improve the qualities that underpin optimal resilience for the types of crises that businesses face today.

We look forward to using these newsletters to explore complex business dynamics like Reputational Resilience, as well as other topics and trends within the Public Affairs, ESG, and Healthcare consulting industries. Subscribe and please reach out whenever you would like to learn more.

Thank you,

Michael Law

Founder & CEO, Summit Strategy Group

Navigating Challenging Times: How Public Affairs Firms Like Summit Strategy Group Help Organizations

As we approached the end of last year, 2023 was shaping up for many of us to be another problematic cycle around the sun. Although signs were emerging that we might see the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel for the first time since 2020, we were bracing for what might become a significant economic downturn. The country remained as politically divided as ever. In addition, the war in Ukraine showed no sign of abating. China signaled its intent to play a much more significant role in global military and economic leadership, leading to an astonishing announcement by Apple, Inc. in December that it would no longer be producing iPhones there.

And as we now approach the first quarter mark of 2023, we realize that all these predictions may come true. This may indeed be a year for the record books.

The economy is stagnant, and massive layoffs have begun, especially in technology. Consumer spending and confidence are low; prices and inflation remain stubbornly high. Sabers are still rattling among the great powers.

Summit offers public affairs counsel and support to many of the country's largest private and public organizations; organizations grappling with increasingly challenging landscapes and operating environments. We focus on complex issues, and we deliver results.

We are experts in moving people from awareness to concern to engagement. We message through the media or directly to your most important stakeholders, moving key actors from complacency to acting on your behalf, allowing you to shift from playing defense to leaning into a winning strategy. Our services include media engagement; strategic issues management; political and issue advocacy; crisis preparedness and response; stakeholder engagement, and grassroots organizing.

Learn More

PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS & TRENDS

The worst crisis communications teams behave like ChatGPT

Between all of us at Summit, we have thousands of hours of combined experience helping organizations prepare for and manage a crisis. We wake up every morning and scour the news for the latest examples of crisis management success or failure.

Leading in the Era of the "Polycrisis"

While leaders in Davos lament the era of the “polycrisis” or the swirl of global emergencies and crises that confront business leaders, I had the good fortune to hear some sage crisis management advice this morning from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

What the media gets right and wrong about land use issues

When industrial companies prepare to speak with media, we have experiences to share with them. Recently Abbey Sanderson of Vulcan Materials Company and Ryan Rauzon of Summit took the stage to share media relations stories and counsel.

ESG Weekly News Update

The world of ESG is evolving rapidly, and in order to provide the highest quality service to our clients, we need to be aware of the changing landscape. We strive to help our clients mitigate risk and develop tailored solutions to their sustainability challenges. To be effective counsel, we must have our finger on the pulse of ESG. One way we do this is through our ESG Weekly News Update, which provides a timely, curated summary of major headlines and ESG-related news.

Every week, members of our ESG team collect and summarize the latest ESG news ranging from investment trends and government actions to new sustainability technologies. We compile these into a weekly newsletter, sent out each Friday.

If you’d like to receive the ESG Weekly News Update in your inbox, you can sign up here. To view past newsletters, click here.

ESG NEWS & TRENDS

Employee Values: Why an Authentic Sustainability Strategy Will Win the Talent War

Sustainable Brands

Individuals across the board are increasingly making career decisions based on potential employers’ environmental and social ethics. However, employee candidates from all age groups are also seeking social environmental accountability, so organizations should realize that social and environmental issues also strongly influence senior talent.

Authentic inclusion requires more than setting longer tables

GreenBiz

Recently, there has been talk about diversifying the profession of corporate sustainability, especially considering the disproportionate impact of climate change on under-resourced and underrepresented communities. The CEO of the Greening Youth Foundation urged corporations to ask themselves: How can greater diversity inform and improve business practices?

Threat of Hydrogen Greenwashing Stalks Europe's Net Zero Plans

Bloomberg

European utilities are pushing to build power plants that would burn natural gas now and eventually switch to burning clean hydrogen, but there are fears that this can open the door for greenwashing. “There’s a huge scope for these ‘hydrogen-ready’ claims to be greenwashing if there aren’t conditions set,” said Sarah Brown, an analyst at London-based climate think tank Ember.

Using Your Data to Tell Your Story

Every picture tells a story. In healthcare, however, it’s the data that tell the most important stories about your practice, hospital, or health system.

In the age of increasing transparency and scrutiny in healthcare, do you know the story your data tells about your organization? Oftentimes in healthcare, we dig into our data to understand what’s happening from a strategic or operations perspective. We consider how regulators will look at our data. We package it into pro forma presentations for our leadership teams. We tease out elements for our brand campaigns and marketing efforts.

Summit brings a team of specialized healthcare experts and senior media counselors who can help you navigate challenges and better engage with the stakeholders that matter most.

Our services include research, strategic narrative development, issue advocacy and crisis management, stakeholder engagement, and rapid response to current and emerging issues. Summit provides unmatched counsel that will put your mind at ease in these choppy waters.

Learn More

HEALTHCARE NEWS & TRENDS

Health insurance makes many kinds of hospital care more expensive

Washington Post

The price that a hospital charges a cash-paying patient for a procedure is often lower than the negotiated price that a commercial insurance plan would pay, a new study in Health Affairs has revealed.

Hospitals, payers making strides on price transparency compliance

Fierce Healthcare

The payer and hospital price transparency landscape is “moving past the point of reluctant acceptance” as more healthcare organizations become compliant and vendors look to build on the available data, Turquoise Health CEO Chris Severn said.

Payer Negotiations Are Getting Ugly

MedCity News

As margins at health systems continue to contract, and insurance company profits continue to surge, contract negotiations are becoming increasingly contentious. With billions of dollars potentially at stake, you need to be prepared and aligned well in advance.

Summit's Karla Aparicio Participates in UCLA Career Day

Summit’s own Karla Aparicio recently participated in a UCLA Career Day panel to share her experiences as a first-generation alumna, as well as advice on starting a career in the communications field.

2015 J Street, Suite 100

Sacramento, CA 9581

www.summitstrategygroup.net