Blake Dowling
Since its founding 25 years ago, The Southern Group has been elite in lobbying. Last year, it launched its own consulting firm, TSG Advisors, to assist clients with project implementation.
I sat down with Dan McGrew, Senior Adviser for Workforce at TSG Advisors—Education, to learn more about his work in and out of the office. I hope you enjoy this “People In The Process” special edition.
Blake Dowling: Tell us about TSG Advisors.
Dan McGrew: TSG Advisors is a spinoff consultancy of The Southern Group. Our strategic alignment with The Southern Group allows us to offer a more extensive approach, with one team directly influencing government decision-making and another entity focused on hands-on implementation. The lobbyists at The Southern Group build the “sandbox” through policy change and advocating for funding. TSG Advisors play in that sandbox by helping education entities with research projects, building programs, submitting applications, supporting senior management, and assisting with growth strategies. Our different but synergistic roles ensure comprehensive and effective solutions for the clients we serve.
Our advisers serve clients by helping them implement policy changes and after state legislative policies or projects have been established. We work alongside our clients by taking products and services to market, providing grant application support, policy and research development, and much more. We are hands-on with organizations to serve as subject matter experts in guiding them to their goals and implementation needs.
BD: Let’s discuss community service. What interested you in Leadership Tallahassee?
DM: I had just moved back to Tallahassee after a 10-year journey from Boston to New York City, Dallas, and Chicago. This time, however, I had a wife and child. As a college student, I really only knew the (part of) Tallahassee bounded by Ocala, Tennessee, Pensacola, and Monroe streets. It wasn’t long before I became exposed to Leadership Tallahassee through the Chamber and local economic development entities. Knowing that the program provided an immersive experience in various aspects of the Tallahassee community really piqued my interest.
BD: What motivated you to become part of the organization’s governing body?
DM: After my experience in Class 31, I couldn’t look at the community the same way again. I recognized the power of this unique experience, which was the opportunity to change one’s perspective on how a community works and the power of bringing together different perspectives to tackle big problems. Leadership Tallahassee really opened my eyes to the complex synergies and interrelated elements of a community, and I felt strongly that leaders in Tallahassee needed to experience the same thing. I slowly grew my involvement first through Youth Leadership Tallahassee, as a retreat leader, then curriculum chair, then curriculum Chair for the flagship adult program. These experiences gave me the opportunity to witness firsthand that my experience was not isolated to one year and that Leadership Tallahassee is truly transforming our community one leader at a time. As a member of the Board of Governors, I’m committed to ensuring that the organization continues to evolve and remain a staple in this community. I believe that when we work together for a common goal, we can share and leverage assets across sectors to make big things happen.
This is what I love about workforce development and the work we do at TSG Advisors – Education. Successful workforce development initiatives require collaboration not only across education, industry, and government but also across different neighborhoods and community organizations. When we help clients better understand community landscapes – who are the players, what are the rules, what are the respective stakeholders’ goals, and where we can find common ground — that’s when workforce initiatives have the best opportunity for success. We help clients leverage all of the tools available and help to bring those parties together to make a difference.
BD: Tell us about your family.
DM: My parents met as missionaries in Peru and started their life together in Miami, where they raised three children, myself and two younger sisters. After my mother passed when I was 13, we were raised by my dad and an extended network of aunties and cousins from the Philippines. My wife’s family moved to Florida by way of Maine and New York and now Florida is home to most of our family. We have four amazing children: a junior and freshman in high school, a seventh grader, and a third grader. Life is moving fast and getting faster.
BD: What are you most proud of in your career?
DM: When I look back at the last 28 years, I’m really most proud of the variety of experiences I have had and the opportunity to use that breadth to help others achieve their goals. I graduated from FSU with a Biological Sciences degree and turned that into a successful career, first managing academic and teaching quality for an education company, then heading up national program design and marketing for SAT and ACT programs, to running operations for an area in North Texas. From there, I ran national operations and strategy for a K-12 tutoring division of the company, then transitioned to higher education, where I served as a college director for a private technical college before moving officially into workforce development. In all these endeavors, I’m most proud of always being in a position to help others achieve their career goals – and I get to keep doing that today, which is really exciting.
BD: What do you love about the state of Florida?
DM: I’ve lived in a lot of places in my life, but Florida has always been home. Growing up, my family went to the beach every single Saturday, and the water is a big part of what makes Florida home to me. Now, in North Florida, I can get to the water within an hour, but we also have so much more. Our trail system in the Tallahassee area spans over 700 miles and allows you to explore a rich and diverse wilderness by foot, bike, or paddle. I love the ability to get outdoors and into a different landscape with ease.
BD: What is the most important issue this year to Floridians from where you sit professionally?
DM: I look at this question through a workforce lens. We have a number of interesting dynamics going on in Florida right now. Our population has been growing at a great clip for the past number of years. Currently, 23M+ people are living here, and we are one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S. We have a 3.3% unemployment rate, but employers still have a difficult time filling positions. There are over 394K open jobs and right around 366K individuals looking for work. Additionally, there is a continuing skills gap among those unemployed and what skills employers are seeking. As a state, we have over 240K individuals between 18-24 without a high school diploma and another 1.7M over age 25 without a high school diploma.
As we celebrate National Workforce Development Month this September, it’s vital that we continue to prioritize this effort within our education systems across the state. Florida has made impressive strides in diversifying its economy, expanding beyond hospitality, tourism, and retail into highly skilled sectors such as manufacturing, financial services, aviation and aerospace, and health care. The real challenge now lies in developing sustainable workforce ecosystems that can build and maintain talent pipelines for these thriving industries. This requires collaboration among multiple stakeholders to address not just training but also critical needs like housing, child care, and expanding our labor pool to include nontraditional workers. These are complex issues, but across Florida, we are witnessing incredible success stories, community by community. At TSG Advisors, we are excited to help bring these initiatives to fruition and impact our local economies.
Thank you, Dan, for your commitment to our state, and we will see you all next time for more tech stories, cyber news, and people in The Process.
