TEAM
Greg Bocchi
Partner
Patrick Atagi
Managing Partner
Greg Bocchi is an experienced association executive with 30 years of extensive management experience in all phases of non-profit operations. His significant expertise includes strategic planning, programs and budget development, financial management, industry statistics/reports, conference and trade show management, communications and industry promotion, executive committee and board management, and management of standards development and technical programs. Greg also has a strong background in industry advocacy, including federal and state legislative and regulatory advocacy along with building collaborative working relationships with international associations.
Greg has served as President and CEO of the Vinyl Institute. Prior to that he was Executive Director of the Powder Coating Institute.
Greg was elected Chairman of the Global Vinyl Council by fellow international association executives, and was named "Industry Person of the Year" by Modern Paint ant Coating magazine in recognition of his significant achievement as the Powder Coating Institute. Greg holds a Bachelor of Arts in Produciton/ Operation Management from Washington State University, where he also completed significant course work in Food Science and Technology.
Atagi is an association management professional. As an example, he serves as President and CEO of the National Industrial Hemp Council (NIHC), Atagi provides high-quality networking and resources for NIHC staff and its members, from the farm to the consumer. Atagi leads an organization composed of leading international, federal, state, private industry, and government professionals throughout the United States and international hemp industry.
Under Atagi’s leadership, NIHC’s goals are to further market development, assist members in entering the industry, and educate the consumer on industrial hemp and its applications. Educating consumers is of paramount importance for NIHC.
Atagi has served in executive positions in both the public and private sectors. He served the public as the Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and as the Confidential Assistant to the Under Secretary at the United States Department of Agriculture under President George W. Bush.
In the private sector, Atagi worked for the US Apple Association, UnitedFresh, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), been the Secretariat for the World Chlorine Council, and the American Chemistry Council.
He remains President and CEO of his family’s farming operation DA Farms in Nyssa, Oregon.
Atagi is a strong business development professional and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Maryland MBA program
Steve Gardner
Senior Advisor
Ab Basu
Senior Advisor
Steve Gardner most recently served as the Corn Refiner Association's second-ranking executive and Corporate Secretary. He provided leadership, management and vision to ensure that CRA has the necessary operational controls, administrative, and people systems in place to effectively grow the organization, ensuring financial strength and operating efficiency.
Over the course of Steve’s career, he’s held senior communications positions at the American Chemistry Council, the Aluminum Association and the US Pharmacopeial Convention. He has led industry-wide programs in reputation management, chemical plant security, sustainability, packaging, recycling, transportation, and more. He managed the Chinese Premier’s visit to the USP facility in Shanghai in 2015 and has spoken at industry conferences throughout the US and in Mexico, Brazil, India, and the UK. Most recently, Steve was the COO for Crosby-Volmer International Communications.
A native of the great state of Maine, Steve can discern a real lobster roll from a pretender, point out the weaknesses of Maine accents in all popular entertainment and defend his long-standing admiration of the New England Patriots.
Steve serves as the Vice Chair of the Board at Historic Congressional Cemetery and resides on Capitol Hill with his wife and two dogs.
Ab Basu has worked for the biotechnology and chemical industries in state affairs for the past 18 years, often planning strategies in support of risk-based policies to regulate new and cutting-edge technologies. He has directly managed issues in almost every state in the country. States Strategies works through an extensive partnership of professionals in most states and many localities.
Ab Basu has been quoted in national newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post and the NY Times, and many other local and regional news outlets.