Dirigo Partners, headquartered in Cumberland, Maine, is a full-service public affairs firm operating for nearly two decades. Since 2005, they’ve supported clients across Maine and the United States with expert grassroots advocacy and strategic consulting services. With a small but mighty team, Dirigo Partners works with clients on many issues ranging from healthcare to energy to climate to finance and much more. Dirigo Partners positions itself at the heart of public policy, leveraging deep political knowledge, expertise, and decades of experience to help individuals, organizations, and businesses build impactful movements around the issues and policies that shape their lives. We, ClimateWork Maine, sat down with Dirigo Partners Managing Partner, Kathie Summers-Grice, to discuss Dirigo Partners work, how it relates to climate action, and advice she has for other businesses. 

Dirigo Partners has worked with a range of organizations ranging from large organizations to small grassroot foundations. Notable clients include The Pew Charitable Trust, AARP, Verizon, Jet Blue, Pfizer, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Summers-Grice alone has implemented over 200 grassroot campaigns on local, regional, and national scales. Dirigo Partners was propelled into the climate space with their first client and contract, The Pew Charitable Trust. Dirigo Partners was working with Pew on what is now known as the Center for Energy and the Environment, and this led Summers-Grice and her colleagues to start to understand the impacts of the changing climate. Summers-Grice started to realize that not only was climate change an environmental issue but an economic issue as well. Additionally, she mentioned how around the same time, she was talking with a southern governor and asked him what made him believe climate change was occurring. His response, “Two one hundred year storms in the first four years of my administration.” Extravagant storms, rising sea levels, warming waters, melting glaciers were and still are problems that impact legacy industries and the overall economy. Recognizing the scale of the issue, Dirigo Partners has made climate policy a core focus, working to address legislation and initiatives that combat climate change. 

When asked why Dirigo Partners joined ClimateWork Maine back in February of this year, Summers-Grice expressed how when Executive Director, Jeff Marks, gave her a call, he had her at hello. Summers-Grice loves the mission of ClimateWork Maine because it aligns with Dirigo Partners’ core values and ongoing work. ClimateWork Maine gauges businesses for climate action and arms them with resources to acclimate for future changes. Even though Dirigo Partners’ is more policy focused, together, both ClimateWork Maine and Dirigo Partners’ efforts help build a more resilient and forward-thinking business environment. This shared commitment to progress and collaboration is especially valuable to Dirigo Partners in the political sphere, where navigating differing perspectives requires a thoughtful and strategic approach.

When working in the political realm, it can be difficult to balance different political opinions while staying neutral. Fortunately, Dirigo Partners has a track record of working effectively with both political parties and is known for maintaining a balanced, nonpartisan approach. They work with right and left focused organizations hearing and appreciating both perspectives. Although Dirigo Partners is not solely focused on climate policy, their sustainability efforts have allowed them to gain experience in finding the best way to communicate climate issues with groups who traditionally do not believe in climate change and develop messaging accordingly. Having this skill set positively impacts businesses because Dirigo Partners can create a space where people on all ends of the spectrum can respectfully engage in conversation about a topic that, at this time, is heavily political. 

Dirigo Partners’ commitment to sustainability has not only led them to develop a more inclusive approach to conversations, but their membership in ClimateWork Maine has also expanded their network of like-minded individuals and organizations. Through this collaboration, they gain real-world insights into how specific policies are impacting businesses across sectors. This timely, on-the-ground information enables Dirigo Partners to tailor their advocacy and consulting efforts more precisely to the challenges at hand. Additionally, Summers-Grice highlighted the innovation she’s witnessing among ClimateWork Maine members, noting that connecting with diverse individuals and learning about their efforts in the climate space helps reinforce the importance of Dirigo Partners’ work. These interactions bring valuable perspective and strengthen the narrative around why policy advocacy in this area matters.

However, like all organizations, there are challenges that come with incorporating climate action and sustainability into business operations, especially when your organization is centered around policy. Today, politics are more alienated than ever, and there are extremists on both sides that think their beliefs are right and anyone with a different belief is wrong. How does Summers-Grice address this issue? She tells her team, “Here’s one thing I never want to hear coming out of someone’s mouth; “Your wrong.” There is no wrong or right in politics, it’s all what we believe.” Dirigo Partners works tirelessly to find the middle ground when it comes to holding conversations with stakeholders who have two vastly different beliefs. They’ve worked with right-facing organizations who are climate-deniers and believe that global warming and climate change is not man made; and left-leaning organizations that insist the right must adopt their beliefs. Summer-Grice’s approach to these conversations: “Whether it’s man-made or not, it’s happening. So, what can we do to remediate what’s going on and to prepare ourselves for what’s going to happen in the future.” Rather than “getting political,” Dirigo Partners works behind the scenes to enact positive change and has been successful with this approach. For example, they’ve passed Work and Save legislation for AARP which helps owners and employees that are on the lower end of the economic scale be able to access a savings program through their employer. Another highlight was working on the Restore America’s Parks initiative to help pass The Great American Outdoors Act. Dirigo Partners acknowledges that right now, in politics, a “with us or against us” mentality exists and getting opposing sides in the same room and finding a consensus can be challenging. However, it is critical to bridging gaps and creating momentum for positive change, and Dirigo Partners is a prime example that it can be done. 

We concluded our conversation with Summers-Grice by asking what advice she would offer to businesses either beginning or continuing their sustainability and climate action journey. Her insights were so thoughtful and impactful that we felt the best way to share them was in her own words—as a list.

1. Anyone can make a difference, be the advocate - “Get out and tell your story because you never know when you’re the person that will change the momentum on any given policy issue.” 

2. Leverage your partnerships and have conversations - “You never know who you will talk to that will help you make an impact.”

And finally, one piece of advice that she received early in her career that she now passes on.

Keep it simple - “You can’t change the world in a day but what you do in every day can change the world…It’s always picking things that you can accomplish and stacking those day after day after day and that's where you really start to see the change.”

Dirigo Partners is a leading example of how a business not solely centered on climate action can still meaningfully integrate it into their daily work and drive positive change. In a time characterized by uncertainty around federal climate policy and action, the role of experienced public affairs firms like Dirigo Partners—who can effectively communicate across party lines to advance progress—is more important than ever. At ClimateWork Maine, we deeply appreciate the perspective and knowledge Summers-Grice and her team bring to ClimateWork Maine’s membership roster and growing network. Their involvement strengthens our collective mission to empower businesses and shape a more sustainable future.

Dirigo Partners Website: https://www.dirigopartners.net/