ACG Pittsburgh 2024 September FCL Event

Ryan joined McGuireWoods Consulting in April 2018 and serves as a senior vice president in the Federal Public Affairs group. He assists clients with matters before Congress, regulatory agencies and the executive branch. Ryan works on a large variety of issues, with extensive experience in agriculture, energy, transportation, appropriations and trade.

In addition, Ryan helps private equity investors and portfolio companies understand the implications of federal and state-level policy decisions and energy market trends for their investment and business decisions.

A respected Republican strategist and former chief of staff to the U.S.Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota, Ryan possesses nearly two
decades of senior government and political experience and was recognized by The Hill as one of the top lobbyists in 2022 for the third
consecutive year.

As chief of staff for Senator Hoeven, he was responsible for overseeing Hoeven’s 30-person Senate staff in Washington and North Dakota since 2012 and served for nearly two years as deputy chief of staff before that. In Bismarck, he was a senior adviser to three North Dakota governors – Jack Dalrymple, Hoeven and Ed Schafer – from 2000 through 2010 in roles that included policy advisor and chief legal counsel.

Ryan earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture economics from North Dakota State University and his J.D. with Distinction from the University of North Dakota Law School. He was also a recipient of the Horizon Award from North Dakota State University. Ryan clerked for the North Dakota Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court in Bismarck and is admitted to the bar in North Dakota and the District of Columbia.

Kurt J. Rankin is vice president and senior economist for The PNC Financial Services Group. He is responsible for contributing to PNC’s regional, national and international economic analysis, including coverage of metropolitan area economies throughout PNC’s midwestern footprint. Rankin focuses on econometric model design and improvement, and specifically with operations related to quality control and model validation.

Rankin joined PNC in June of 2010 after a 10-year career with Moody’s Analytics. In that position, he served as the lead analyst for operations design and implementation for a vast array of econometric modeling systems, from country-level macroeconomic models to concept-specific, highly customized forecasting projects. Rankin also helped to launch that firm’s Sydney, Australia economic research operations on-site. He was named vice president in February 2016 and senior economist in 2022.

He is past president of The Economic Club of Pittsburgh - the local chapter of National Association of Business Economics (NABE).

Rankin earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh, and his master’s degree in economics and finance from Venice International University (Venice, Italy). Rankin also holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix, with a concentration in global management.

Tom joined Louis Plung & Company in February 2023 as a Tax Partner with nearly 16 years of public accounting experience in tax compliance and consulting. He has both regional and national firm experience, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge in the tax field which he leverages to help his clients grow their businesses.

His expertise includes tax planning and consulting for businesses and individuals in the industries of manufacturing & wholesale distribution, retail, real estate, technology, professional services, energy, convenience stores/gas stations, investment funds, and private equity. Professionally, he is motivated by the success of his clients, saying, “When the work I do can help my clients grow their business and bottom line, there’s no better feeling professionally.”

Personally, he is motivated by his family, “My wife (Shari) and two kids (Timmy & Sadie) are my world outside the office, and I love spending time with them and watching the kids grow.” Hockey is one of Tom’s main hobbies. When he’s not watching the Penguins, he plays on a few teams (ice & inline) and is teaching his kids to skate so they can play with dad.

Tom is also very involved with the local craft brewery & distillery community, including being an owner in a local brewery. He has served as the Treasurer of the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild since its inception, helping to grow that organization’s presence in Allegheny County. He is very passionate about the growth and development of the industry in Pittsburgh.