A Native of Mobile, Alabama, Irby was also named by The Hill on three previous occasions under the grassroots category and now as a ‘hired gun’ for this year.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – One of Washington D.C.’s major political publications, The Hill, released its annual list of Top Lobbyists for 2023 and among those recognized was Capitol South founder and president Marty Irby. Irby was also named as one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists for 2019, and 2020, and 2021. With over 12,500 lobbyists in Washington, D.C., the list represents the top two percent of all lobbyists in our Nation’s Capital.
Irby, a native of Mobile, Ala., was recognized for his work representing and lobbying for a wide array of organizations and clients over the past year including FreedomWorks, Competitive Markets Action (CMA), the Alabama Contract Poultry Growers Association (ALCPGA), Farm Action, Animal Wellness Brands, and the Environmental Working Group (EWG). In addition to his work in the lobbying space Irby has also helped advance policy by increasing awareness in the media and managing press for groups like the Organization for Competitive Markets. Over the past five years Irby and those he has represented have been featured in People Magazine, the Associated Press, USA Today, NBC News, CNN, Fox News, The Daily Caller, Sports Illustrated, The Hill, and ESPN to name a few.
“I’m deeply honored to have been named as one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists for the fourth time and am truly grateful to our clients and every organization we lobbied on behalf of over the past year,” said Marty Irby, President and CEO of Capitol South, LLC, who founded the group this year. “While 2023 has been a very challenging rollercoaster we never took our foot off the gas and have doubled down in our work ethic and efforts to achieve results for our clients.”
“We’ve made great strides in 2023 by advancing legislation to reform USDA’s scandal-ridden checkoff programs thanks to Marty Irby,” said Jonathan Buttram, President of the Alabama Contract Poultry Growers Association. “American family farmers are in peril thanks to checkoff dollars that flow through organizations like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and National Pork Producers Council that continue to put producers out of business, but we stand a fighting chance thanks to the team at Capitol South.”
“Marty Irby’s dedication and hard work as a lobbyist has been instrumental in securing dozens of appointments for me with key leadership in the House and Senate,” said Carole Baskin, founder of Big Cat Rescue, who worked with Irby to enact the Big Cat Public Safety Act signed into law last December. “His expertise and tenacity have been invaluable in passing the Big Cat Public Safety Act and I am incredibly grateful for his tireless efforts.”
“I congratulate my friend on being named one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists again – he’s one of the best ‘hired guns’ in the nation,” said Clay Barclay, chairman of the board at Competitive Markets Action and a former Co-Chair of the Young Republican National Federation. “Since the days we served together in the Mobile County Young Republicans 23 years ago, Marty has always put 100 percent into advancing the policies he’s focused on. He’s a rare bird with a rare work ethic in the swamp.”
“Marty Irby is the Michael Jordan of the lobbying arena and I applaud his tireless work ethic,” said Cameron Ring, founder of Veterans for Mustangs, who worked with Irby on the Veterans for Mustangs Act that was introduced in February.
“Marty has a unique ability to bring unlikely allies together for a common purpose,” said Mike Eby, former executive director of the Organization for Competitive Markets and chair of the National Dairy Producers Organization. “Our work with both farmers and advocates to reform the mandatory USDA Commodity Checkoff Programs and pass the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act is one such example. Working with a wide array of legislators and stakeholders on both sides of the aisle has been a key factor in Marty’s success.”
Over the past year Irby has worked to defeat the terrible so-called Ending Agriculture Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, H.R.4417/S.2019, and successfully enact the Big Cat Public Safety Act, FDA Modernization Act 2.0, the Reducing Animal Testing Act, the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act, and a statutory fix to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020. He also lobbied to secure key votes that brought passage of the U.S. House’s first bill to raise the debt ceiling – the Limit, Save, Grow Act – in 2023.
Irby is currently working on behalf of the Alabama Contract Poultry Growers Association to advance the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act, H.R.1249/S.557, and EWG to advance the Crop Insurance Transparency Act, H.R. 5747, and prevent dangerous riders that would nullify state and local pesticide laws from being included in the next Farm Bill. His firm organized two Washington, D.C. fly-ins with stakeholders from across the nation that conducted more than 200 in-person meetings on Capitol Hill. Irby and his team played a key role in helping to secure three Congressional signatory letters against the EATS Act signed by more than 220 bipartisan Members of the House and Senate, and is working in a coalition with The Heritage Foundation, FreedomWorks, EWG, R-Street, and the Club for Growth to prevent an increase in reference prices in the upcoming Farm Bill.
Irby was also honored by the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 for his work with Monty Roberts, “the Man Who Listens to Horses,” to advance legislation that would better protect American equines, and recognized by former President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office on national television in 2019 for his work as well.
Capitol South, LLC is a Washington D.C. lobbying firm specializing in advocacy and public affairs, working at both the state and federal level. Utilizing proven strategies and solutions, the firm’s areas of expertise include the agriculture and environmental sectors, energy and commerce, appropriations, and natural resources.
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