Electrical contractors equip themselves with the manpower, tools, and technology to be their best on every job, every day. But, sometimes, situations beyond their individual control get in the way — like local or national regulations and policies.
To help in this area and in line with the four pillars guiding its strategies, IEC National has strengthened its resources in the government relations area.
“Your Board of Directors recognizes the importance of ensuring that the merit shop contractor has a strong voice in Washington, D.C.,” says Amy Biedenharn, IEC executive director. “Therefore, this fall we made two important moves to bolster our ability to be heard — consistently and effectively.”
One of those moves was to select Government Affairs Solutions (GA Solutions) to provide federal legislative affairs and lobbying services. Principal and CEO Ben Brubeck now serves as IEC’s lead federal lobbyist and policy strategist, working closely with Congress, regulatory
agencies, and key coalitions to advance the policy objectives of IEC and its members.
The second, complementary move was to hire Jeremy Croft, whose job responsibilities are focused on advocacy and public relations. With a dual government affairs and communications background, Jeremy is well suited to provide strategic leadership, committee engagement, advocacy communication and engagement, member and chapter support, and events and education.
Bold Steps toward IEC’s Vision
IEC’s vision is to build a strong merit shop workforce driving the future of the electrical industry.
Within the government affairs and advocacy fundraising arena in line with the above IEC vision, IEC’s Government Affairs Committee has been working in 2025 on the following short-term objectives:
- Establish and elevate IEC priority issues with new administration and Congress
- Provide enhanced (app-based) Capitol Hill lobbying visit resources for Policy Conference attendees
- Reach IEC PAC goal established by 2025 PAC/Freedom Fund Committee
- Increase number of PAC authorized members
- Reach IEC Freedom Fund goal established by 2025 PAC/Freedom Fund Committee
Why Lobby?
“Our committees feel confident that we have put in place a structure and team to make IEC a resource for federal legislators and regulators who need to understand the workings of merit shop contractors,” says Don Aragon, VA Electric, and 2025 Government Affairs Committee and PAC-Freedom Fund Committee chair. “We are excited to push forward with Ben and Jeremy in 2026.”
Ben has been working with federal legislators in D.C., including 21 years at the national headquarters of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). He believes that effective government affairs is about building relationships and establishing IEC and his team as trusted resources to:
- Educate targets on IEC’s key policy issues
- Advocate for outcomes that align with IEC’s strategic goals
- Monitor legislation and changes to regulations, and facilitate compliance for the betterment of the industry
- Lobby to prevent government interference / level playing field with competitors, and deliver win-win benefits to public and IEC members
“My previous experience with ABC makes for an easy transition for everybody,” Ben says. “ABC and IEC have worked closely together on a lot of issues like safety, apprenticeship, prevailing wage, Davis-Bacon, project labor agreements (PLAs), licensing, and other labor and employment issues. My philosophy has always been, if you’re not at the table, sometimes you’re on the menu. You have to be there and be active.”
Ben recalls how one of his first assignments at the beginning of his ABC career was to prepare and accompany a few ABC contractors to testify at a hearing at the Illinois Tollway Authority. Knowing it was going to be contentious, the meeting was moved to a larger space at a local university. Ben says they showed up and were met by a couple hundred union workers who were spitting, hissing, and shouting at them. The meeting concluded and their group had a police escort to get back to their car.
“They had slashed three out of our four tires,” Ben shares. “I was 22 and thought to myself ‘what am I getting myself into? This is crazy.’ It was truly baptism by fire, but I’m stubborn, don’t like losing, and felt the need to move forward. I’ve really enjoyed being a voice for logic and reason and free enterprise over my career.”
While IEC has Ben at the helm, Ben has the support of others from GA Solutions to bolster efforts for IEC as required. At the top of that list is GA Solutions Principal Jaime Steve, who has been lobbying on behalf of energy and telecom in Washington, D.C. for more than 25 years, including the American Wind Energy Association. In addition, Tim Wagner, Mike Ancell, and Caroline Ferguson are tagged to provide assistance from the firm whenever needed.
“My goal is to be the rudder of the ship and try to steer people in the right direction, provide some good advice to members and staff, and to execute on IEC’s strategic plan,” Ben states. “I would like to create a situation where we have members from every chapter who are focused on our top priority issues and are developing relationships with the lawmakers in D.C. and back home, especially policymakers on the key congressional committees we care about. I’d like to help them by providing information and tools to be successful advocates of IEC and the merit shop electrical industry.
“Working with the IEC Government Affairs Committee and Amy and Jeremy, we’re establishing strategies addressing IEC priority issues, like apprenticeship and opposing PLA mandates,” Ben says. “We are prepared to elevate those issues with Congress and Trump administration officials.”
Bolstering the Team
Jeremy Croft is senior manager, government affairs and communications. He joined the IEC National staff team in late September, and within three days found himself on a plane to Phoenix for SPARK 2025.
“Going to SPARK my first week was a huge opportunity to get a jump-start on this new position,” says Jeremy. “I was able to meet so many people in person and immerse myself in the culture and mission of IEC.”
Jeremy comes from a 15-year career in strategic communication and public relations for a variety of government agencies, both in and out of uniform. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2009 and spent three years stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Once he was back stateside, he worked at Plumas National Forest in a remote northern corner of California, while continuing to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve.
Jeremy’s latest role before coming to IEC was as the deputy chief of public affairs at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, where he shaped strategic communication related to flood mitigation projects, recreation, and navigation on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers.
Key to Jeremy’s new role is to amplify the voice of IEC on key policy issues impacting the merit shop electrical contracting industry by connecting IEC members and chapters to advocacy initiatives.
“Jeremy serves as a bridge between national legislative efforts and local action, ensuring that IEC’s advocacy work is impactful, visible, and aligned with its strategic goals,” says Amy.
“I’m excited to work with Ben Brubeck,” says Jeremy. “He has such a depth of experience with advocacy on behalf of merit shop associations, like ABC and IEC, and knows how to make an impact in Washington.”
Jeremy invites IEC members with government affairs questions to reach out to him at jcroft@IECI.org.
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