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Carol Cain’s Profiles

No Prisoners

by Carol Cain
November 18, 2011

First in an occasional series about Michigan leaders whose legislative and executive office experience in Lansing helped them transition to top jobs in corporate America.

Like when General Sherman blazed a trail through Atlanta, heaven help the person on the other side of an issue if AT&T Michigan President Jim Murray is leading the charge.

At 41, the Jackson native has built a career in legislative leadership roles and is now setting new markers as the top Michigan executive of a huge communications firm. He’s determined, laser focused and gets the job done as few others — as those who have watched him in action readily attest.

“I would characterize Jim as being very direct, very focused and knowledgeable on whatever the issue,” said Ken Sikkema, senior policy fellow at policy research firm Public Sector Consultants in Lansing. “He comes on strong and he doesn’t take any prisoners.”

Murray was deputy chief of staff to then-House Speaker Rick Johnson when Sikkema was Senate majority leader. “When you deal with him, you better bring your ‘A’ game,” Sikkema said. “If he’s confident he is right, he’s not going to give an inch.”

“It made him successful in the political world and it’s why he is successful in business,” Sikkema added.

With steely determination, Murray has found success by knowing when to adjust his game plan.

The son of a corrections employee and dental assistant, Murray was taking business classes at Central Michigan years ago. He was uninspired.

But fate stepped in as he signed up for a political science class and was smitten. He found his calling in dealing with policy and legislative issues, which is what he has done for 20 years.

He spent 14 years working in legislative offices before joining AT&T in 2005 to help the company’s lobbying operations in Lansing. When his boss, Gail Torreano, moved to corporate headquarters in Dallas in 2009, Murray won the top job in Michigan.

He may have found his perfect job at AT&T, where as president he is responsible for regulatory, legislative, and external affairs, as well as community and industry relations. AT&T has more than 10,000 employees in Michigan, and Murray has about 20 helping him directly.

Since 2005, Murray has played a key role in AT&T’s successful efforts to update telecommunications laws, bring about video franchise reform and more.

“He’s a smart guy and a hard worker and those people go a long way,” said former Speaker Johnson, now a lobbyist. “When Jim went to other legislators, they knew it was time to put up or shut up. He’s the kind of guy who is not afraid of a challenge, and that is why he has progressed as he has.”

Sarah Hubbard has known Murray for more than 20 years and was in his wedding party. She was one of the first people he met in Lansing.

“We met when I was working in the House in the early 1990s,” said Hubbard. “He’s simply one of the best legislative strategists in Michigan. He understands how legislators think and what is needed to shepherd issues through.”

Hubbard, who was senior vice president of governmental relations for the Detroit Regional Chamber and is now a partner at the consulting firm Acuitas, admits Murray can seem “prickly” to those taken aback by his bluntness.

“In today’s corporate environment, some people are surprised by that,” she added. “I appreciate that you know where he stands. In this era of corporate leaders being so careful and pulling their punches, Jim’s not afraid to hold people accountable.”

He’s also a community leader involved in civic organizations like the Detroit Regional Chamber, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Detroit Economic Club, Metropolitan Affairs Coalition and Citizens Research Council.

Unlike predecessor Torreano, who was based in Detroit, Murray has a lower profile in Metro Detroit.

“I rarely see him, but AT&T is a wonderful sponsor,” said Beth Chappell, president and CEO of the Economic Club of Detroit.

But in Lansing, his footprint is hard to miss.

Bill Ballenger, editor of Inside Michigan Politics and who conducts a survey about lobbyists in Lansing every three years, said Murray has been rated one of the most effective, though he has a few critics.

“The comments we get [with those surveys] are anonymous,” Ballenger pointed out. “Let’s just say he may not be Mr. Popularity.”

But few could ignore his success and ability to get legislation through, regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans are in charge.

“My role is to oversee the legislative, regulatory and public relations side,” Murray emphasizes. And as Murray has changed from politics to business, AT&T has shifted from being a phone company to a telecommunications firm.

“We’re trying to transform ourselves from a legislative and regulatory point of view,” he said. “We are not a utility anymore. Our future is in mobile broadband and cellular. This is not the same phone company you thought of five years ago.”

One of his toughest challenges came in 2006 when he helped pass legislation that allowed AT&T to get into the video market to compete with cable. That lobbying campaign is generally regarded as one of the biggest legislative accomplishments by any organization in recent years.

“That was something brand new to people,” he said. “It took us almost a year, but we got it done.”

Murray is looking ahead to the 2012 election races across the state and what they could mean for the company’s efforts in Lansing.

“We make sure we touch every single legislator when they come in the door so they get a fresh look at who we are today,” he said.

“We’re keeping our ear on the street. It’s a long, arduous process, but it does pay off. It’s the relationships and process that win the day in the fight for legislation.”

When asked who he modeled himself after, he mentions Steve Young of Governmental Consultant Services Incorporated (GCSI), a leading multi-client lobbying firm in Lansing.

“He’s always on the ground working,” Murray said. “He’s one of the best. He knows every legislator and works [the relationships]. He has the skill set and forms bonds with Republicans and Democrats.”

Murray said he has no political ambitions himself and loves what he is doing.

“The public doesn’t hold legislators in the high esteem that they should. It’s a thankless job in some ways. I think I’d rather stay on this side of that equation,” he said.

“I like this job and AT&T is happy,” he adds. “I plan to be here for a while.”

Carol Cain is an Emmy-winning journalist who is senior producer and host of WWJ-TV CBS Detroit’s Michigan Matters. She is also a columnist covering politics and business at the Detroit Free Press.