- VanNatta Public Relations, 1969-2005.
About Fred VanNatta
Fred VanNatta descends from a long line of family members involved in politics. He then extended that family legacy by studying political science at Willamette University. After college, he engaged in the political process first-hand as a lobbyist in Salem for more than three decades.
His first clients were the Association of Engineering Employees of Oregon, and the Oregon State Homebuilders Association. They remained clients for many years. VanNatta sees a lobbyist as the person who provides the facts and statistics to lawmakers to write good bills. Mistakes included in the information provided to legislators must be corrected immediately because: “Your personal credibility is the most significant thing that you have in the legislative process.”
Throughout his career, VanNatta was involved in helping get significant legislation passed. This legislation included the bonding of construction contractors and SB 100 on land use planning. In one unique instance, VanNatta and his client the Oregon State Homebuilder’s Association found the provisions of a bill passed in the regular session brought the residential construction industry to a virtual halt. The mistake had to remedied promptly. “To the best of my knowledge that was the only case so far where a lobby group got a special session of the legislature to fix a problem.”
– Interview recorded June 22, 2017