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Patrick Shortell
Principal at Hillside Strategies, LLC
Professional Background
Patrick Shortell is a highly experienced lobbyist known for his extensive work in the government relations industry, where he has built a reputation as an accomplished strategist in government affairs, communication, and public policy. With a rich background that spans over years of reliable and impactful advocacy, Patrick has cultivated deep knowledge and relationships at various levels of government, including regional, state, and municipal. His career reflects a consistent dedication to influencing policy and championing causes that benefit communities and constituents alike.
Patrick’s current role as Principal and Lobbyist at Hillside Strategies, LLC showcases his ability to navigate complex political landscapes while developing effective strategies for his clients. His previous experiences—culminating in significant positions at renowned organizations—have equipped him with the skills necessary for success. As the Vice President and Lobbyist at Halloran Sage, he expanded his network and honed his strategic communication abilities, enabling him to enact meaningful changes in public policy. Patrick also played critical roles in various capacities within organizations focused on expanding market reach and public policy analysis, including his contributions at Renovate America and Kinder Morgan, Inc.
Because of his deep commitment to understanding both market dynamics and community needs, Patrick excels in public strategy development, offering valuable insights into the government and regulatory frameworks affecting multiple industries.
Education and Achievements
Patrick Shortell's academic background is as impressive as his professional achievements. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice, with a minor in Business Management from Springfield College, as well as further studies at the University of Connecticut. This educational foundation provides him with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills that inform his work in government relations and lobbyist efforts.
Throughout his career, Patrick has taken on a series of increasingly responsible roles, demonstrating leadership, negotiation skills, and an ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders. His experience as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Connecticut House Democrats is a testament to his strategic influence at the government level, where he worked to shape public policy and advocacy initiatives. Additionally, his past involvement in numerous political campaigns, including serving as Political Director at the Mayor Pedro Segarra Campaign in Hartford and Director of Campaign Operations for AG George Jepsen in Connecticut, showcases his adeptness in navigating the political landscape and cultivating successful campaign strategies.
Notably, as a Legislative Coordinator and Lobbyist at Gaffney, Bennett and Associates, Inc., Patrick was instrumental in developing advocacy strategies that successfully engaged legislators and influenced policymaking on behalf of a diverse range of clients and issues.
Key Contributions and Impact
Throughout his career, Patrick Shortell has been dedicated to understanding and addressing the intricate challenges that policymakers face, particularly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. His role as Market Expansion & Policy for Renovate America was pivotal in shaping market strategies that effectively communicated value propositions to stakeholders, thus enhancing accessibility to Clean Energy solutions and innovative financial products. This position underscored his commitment to advancing not just business objectives but also broader public policies aimed at improving community welfare.
As a Senior Policy Advisor for the Connecticut House Democrats, Patrick played an invaluable role in guiding critical legislation that continues to shape community services and enhance the quality of life for residents. His knack for building relationships with legislators and fostering partnerships with advocacy groups helped to ensure that various voices were heard in the policymaking process.
In addition to these accomplishments, Patrick’s participation in campaigns has been marked by innovative approaches to voter engagement and grassroots mobilization. His strategic efforts during the campaigns helped to enhance the visibility of candidates while ensuring that their platforms resonated with the electorate.
Patrick Shortell’s commitment to collaboration and strategic advocacy has positioned him as a leader in the lobbying profession. His ability to align client interests with actionable public policy goals is a remarkable facet of his career, contributing not only to business growth but also to meaningful legislative outcomes that benefit communities across the region.
In summary, Patrick Shortell is a dynamic and accomplished government relations expert who seamlessly blends a wealth of experience with a strong educational foundation. His achievements and strategic contributions have made a profound impact on public policy and advocacy, demonstrating a sustained dedication to making a positive difference in the political landscape. As he continues to champion causes that matter to both clients and communities, Patrick remains a distinguished figure in the realm of lobbying and public affairs.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.