Orion Strategies

Orion Strategies
Industry Public Relations/Consulting
Founded 2007 (2007)
Founder Curtis Wilkerson
Headquarters Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.A
Area served
 United States
Website www.orion-strategies.com

Orion Strategies (Orion Strategies LLC) is a strategic communications and public relations firm. The company has offices in Charleston, West Virginia and Buckhannon, West Virginia, and operates throughout the Eastern United States.

History

Orion Strategies was founded in 2007 by Curtis Wilkerson[1] and is based in Charleston, West Virginia. In mid-2008 the company opened a second office in Buckhannon, West Virginia, in order to service that market and its expanding energy sector of North Central West Virginia . In late 2012 Orion Strategies moved into a new office on Capitol Street in downtown Charleston, West Virginia.

Business overview

Orion Strategies offers public relations and political consulting services to its clients. In addition to PR and political consulting, Orion Strategies also offers issue advocacy, media relations, graphic design, direct mail, opinion polling and research.

National Recognition

National Blog FiveThirtyEight, run by Nate Silver, gave Orion Strategies a B− ranking, the highest of any West Virginian organization, in its review of pollsters in the USA.[2]

Recognition in the media

Founder and spokesman Curtis Wilkerson has been quoted and used as a background source by the Washington Post, CNN,[3][4] Salon,[5] Huffington Post,[6] the Washington Times and West Virginian publications including the Charleston Gazette-Mail,[7][8] State Journal,[9] Intermountain,[10] The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register,[11] Wheeling News-Register, and West Virginia MetroNews.[12]

During West Virginia’s 2010 senate election Orion Strategies produced a poll that gained national recognition. The firm predicted a 10-point victory in 2010 for U.S. Senate candidate Joe Manchin while numerous other statewide polls called for either a Manchin loss or narrow margin of victory.[13] The Orion poll proved to be the most predictive measurement of the race as Senator Joe Manchin went on to win the election with 60.6% of the vote.[14]

Criticisms

Orion’s critics have called Orion Strategies partisan. Real Clear Politics gave the firm a “D” indication, showing an alignment with the Democratic Party.[15] Opponents Orion’s clients have emphasized this claim when addressing Orion Strategies in the media.[16][17]

In 2011, Politico Morning Tech spoke of Orion being an instrument of AT&T during the telecommunication firm’s attempted merger with T-Mobile. Internet Innovation Alliance used Orion Strategies to get support for the merger. As a result of Orion’s involvement, the West Virginia Farm Bureau ended up writing a letter of support for the telecommunication merger. Politico questioned the validity of this support.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Wesleyan graduates make Generation Next list". The Intermountain. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "TRANSCRIPTS". CNN. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Poll suggests Manchin up 10 pts. in West Virginia". CNN. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "FiveThirtyEight’s Pollster Rating". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  5. ↑ "Can Barack Obama win West Virginia?". Salon. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "2008 West Virginia Senate GE". Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "State officials to mark latest Corridor H work". WV Gazette-Mail. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "Statehouse Beat: Charging full-time students". WV Gazette-Mail. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "Energy Solutions Consortium looking at up to $1B investment in 2 Beech Bottom WV gas-fired power plants". State Journal. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  10. ↑ "Early completion of Corridor H would generate $1.25 billion". The Intermountain. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  11. ↑ "Mollohan’s Poll in His Favor". The Intelligencer. 28 April 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "New poll covers guns, politics and Friends of Coal Bowl". MetroNews. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Poll: Joe Manchin ahead by 10 points". Politico. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "West Virginia Senate - Raese vs. Manchin". REal Clear Politics. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "On the new West Virginia polls". Washington Examiner. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "GOP questions new poll showing big Dem lead in WV Senate". Washington Examiner. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "GOP slams Marshall poll". News and Sentinel. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  18. ↑ "A TALE OF AT&T SUPPORT". Politico. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2015.

"Higher Education News Clippings" (PDF). West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Retrieved 22 August 2015. 

"New Poll Tells Stories Behind State Voters' Opinions (McCain leads 52%-41% in West Virginia)". Free Republic. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2015. 

"On the new West Virginia polls". Washington Examiner. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015. 

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