We recently connected with Mary Bell Love and have shared our conversation below.

Mary, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

In Texas, the state legislature meets biennially. On odd years, over just six months, lawmakers write and amend legislation that govern the nation’s second-largest state, in both population and economy. This makes advocating for meaningful change all the more significant and where The Mach 1 Group (Mach 1) really shines.

At the onset of our relationship with each client, we develop impactful strategy and messaging for the organizations we represent. We then amplify causes through earned media placement, targeted social media activity, expert testimony and compelling materials for lawmakers and their staff.

A great example of this — and one of my proudest moments last year — was helping lead a targeted messaging and legislative campaign for Senate Bill 838: Alyssa’s Law, which requires silent panic alarms in every public and charter school in the state. Following the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022 — it was clear that something more had to be done to protect children and teachers during the school day. But what? And with contentious debates and dozens of advocacy groups descending on the Capitol, we had to find a way to break through the noise and reach both sides of the aisle.

In retrospect, three things stand out to me that helped make this legislative idea a reality in Texas. First, we worked closely with the family of Alyssa Alhadeff, a victim of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting in Parkland, Florida, whom the law is named after. Her parents were incredible advocates and spokespeople for change — helping further the cause with compelling interviews and conversations with decision-makers in Austin. Next, we were detail-oriented in our pursuit of clear, impactful messaging. We understood the questions on funding and implementation that lawmakers and the Governor’s office would raise and put those answers out front and center. And finally, we adhered to a well-structured communications schedule that considered important legislative deadlines.

SB 838 passed both the Senate and House unanimously – a rare feat, and on June 13, Gov. Greg Abbott signed it into Texas law. It was an extraordinary day for me, Mach 1 and the state of Texas.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As Partner and COO at Mach 1, I lead an incredible team of communications professionals who work to serve organizations and causes at the crossroads of public opinion and public policy. The firm’s mission is to help our clients improve their reputations and advance impactful agendas and advocacy initiatives across Texas and the United States. We do this best by leaning into our collective knowledge — as former government press secretaries, campaign aides, policy advisors, news producers and reporters. We are also lifelong learners: analyzing and growing from both our own and others’ successes and failures to develop public relations tactics that meet the moment.

Some of our areas of expertise include:
—Media Relations: helping organizations land the coverage they want.
—Crisis Management: helping organizations prepare for and mitigate communications during times of need.
—Policy Communications: helping organizations advance their public affairs goals through powerful communications.
—Thought Leadership: media training and raising the clout of top executives.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The keys to our success are diligence, efficiency, attention to detail, creativity and — more than anything — having an excellent team that our clients trust.

Mach 1’s Founder and CEO, Katherine McLane, is a nationally recognized crisis and policy communications expert – often referred to as a “PR legend” because of her work with the Livestrong Foundation during a tumultuous – and highly visible – time. During her decades of service in government and non-profit work, she found that many public relations and public affairs agencies she worked with lacked the attention to detail and urgency many organizations need to accomplish their communications goals. She decided to create a firm with a culture that values focused energy and measurable results, providing swift and excellent service to its clients, who are making a significant investment.

Katherine hired me seven years ago based on my energy communications expertise and my deep understanding of executive state government and Texas politics. Over the years, together, we have built a team that has a remarkable ability to translate complex, nuanced issues into understandable messaging that impresses the right audiences at the right time. As a result, we have established Mach 1 as the go-to agency for organizations and lobbyists across the state and country for crisis and policy issues, setting us far apart from our competitors.

We may be a boutique agency, but we are heavy hitters. Our size allows us to be selective with our clients and provides them access to firm leadership at any time. As we grow, it’s our mission to keep this culture of accessibility strong.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Word of mouth! While there are many avenues to getting new business, nothing holds a candle to a current or former client’s testimony.

We take great pride in what we do and the professional relationships we build. We’re available to our clients on their schedule and execute campaigns that generate results. For example, during the six-month 2023 Texas Legislative Session, our team facilitated over 680 media hits directly related to client causes. We placed nearly 20 in-depth opinion pieces in some of the best-performing daily newspapers in the nation. These earned media hits equate to over $60 million in publicity value and aid in reaching our clients’ goals on over a dozen bills spanning the healthcare, energy, school safety and higher education realms.

We share these wins with our clients, as these campaigns not only ushered in good legislation in Texas but also showcased our extraordinary talent as a firm. When we retain more business because someone recommends us to a similar organization, it is proof positive that we deliver a service worth bragging about — and we love that!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://themach1group.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marywadebell/
• Twitter: @MaryBellLove
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkpkIOIdPFkq6J8ugs7RJGw

Image Credits
First two images, photo credit to 2023 Stevie® Awards, 20th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.