February 2022 Volume 4

WASHINGTON UPDATE

Forging Industry Association Hires Government Affairs Director, Matt Riehl

government affairs and advocacy program requires a team effort. He will be surveying members and collecting vital information to make our case to legislators. He will also ask for your help to make your plants available for tours by Members of Congress and other elected officials. Additionally, he will be asking for our help to revitalize the FIA’s Forging PAC, our political action committee. PACs can be one of the most important tools in a government affair’s toolkit to amplify a trade association’s voice inWashington D.C.

Matt earned his bachelor’s degree from Kent State University as well as a J.D. and M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

The Forging Industry Association (FIA) is excited to welcome Matt Riehl to the team as the new Government Affairs Director. Matt will be starting in this new role in early March. Prior to joining FIA, Matt has been working for Arconic Corporation and has had direct responsibility for the company’s Congressional relations, state and local government affairs, government incentives, and political action committee. Matt led the company’s government affairs response to Section 232 and 301 tariffs, including drafting comments to the Commerce Department, exclusion requests, and objections. Matt also grew monthly contributions to the PAC by over 200% from the lows set during the pandemic. In December, Matt was instrumental in capturing a highly competitive, multimillion-dollar state incentive, which required an extensive advocacy program for elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels. Matt serves as Chair of the Aluminum Association PAC Board and also sits on their government affairs committee. In 2021, under Matt’s leadership, the Aluminum Association PAC exceeded its fundraising goals. Prior to joining Arconic, Matt had his own consulting firm and prior to that, he was the campaign manager for long-time Congressman Steve LaTourette. In this role, Matt helped build the Congressman’s political operation, devised winning political strategies, and raised millions of dollars for Congressman LaTourette, Speaker John Boehner, and other members of Congress. Matt was also an elected official himself, serving on Stow City Council for 6 terms. During his tenure, Matt held all three leadership positions, served on multiple committees, and was the youngest person elected to office in Stow’s history. Matt will be responsible for creating FIA’s first-ever internal government affairs program and ensuring we get better results on issues like fair trade. Matt can’t do it alone, though. A successful

Want to Make an Impact? Join the FIA Public Policy Committee!

For more information, contact JimWarren at jwarren@forging.org or call 216-781-6260. (Youmust be amember of the Forging Industry Association to join an FIACommittee)

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FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2022