Political Consultant Garrett Ventry Reveals The Secret To Being An Effective Power Broker
Ventry was crucial to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation and helped advance a bipartisan agenda to reign in Big Tech.
Presented by Sara Smith
Sitting in a Palm Beach-based office, Ventry takes calls from CEOs, members of Congress, and TV anchors. His phone is constantly buzzing, he jokes that he is a terrible dinner date because of it.
The 34-year-old has risen quickly in Washington D.C. but recently emerged as a player in New York and Palm Beach. Not many 30-somethings can say they have advised Supreme Court Justices and Fortune 100 companies. His schedule is border line sociopathic; he wakes up without an alarm at 5 a.m. and starts reading the news, answering emails, and working on client issues.
Since starting GRV Strategies and CV Strategies two years ago, Ventry has complied a dozen Fortune 100 clients. His pitch to clients is simple: He understands how to navigate Republicans and the media. He’s connected to a vast network of members of Congress, senior hill aides, and reporters. His Instagram shows him pictured with the former President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., Fox News host Sandra Smith, Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer, congressman Jim Banks, media personality Tucker Carlson, Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal, UFC fighter Colby Covington, and Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Once the chief of staff for Rep. Ken Buck and communications aide for the Senate Judiciary Committee, he continues to work as a senior strategist for House and Senate campaigns. He came on the scene for his critical role in the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The New Yorker dubbed him, “the aide who helped guide strategy for Kavanaugh.” Today, Ventry has distinguished himself as one of Trump’s top advocates on cable news, where he regularly provides political analysis on Fox News and NBC. The former President has taken notice, praising Ventry for his TV appearances.
For Ventry however, it feels like it has been a long road getting to this point. “I always wanted to be in charge and have flexibility to manage my own schedule and company…but I had to pay my dues to get here,” says Ventry. “I started off working in banking but did not really enjoy being tied to a desk. So, I made the switch to working in politics.”
His financial experience remains valuable, as he works with Wall Street executives and major GOP donors such as Omeed Malik and 1789 Fund. He has been a major figure in the media strategy for bringing two companies public at the NYSE just this year. One GOP member of Congress described Ventry this way, “You don’t want to be on the opposite side of a fight against him, he is ruthless and always delivers.”
Ventry says the thrill of being part “big political fights and solving corporate challenges,” are what excites him most. He started his political career as a volunteer to get experience, then moved to D.C. taking on mid-level roles that let him work his way up. He says, “My good friend Mike Davis gave me the opportunity to work in the United States Senate on Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation. That was really the launching pad for me.”
Since then, Ventry has stayed deep in the political fray, but has also expaned as a key consultant for corporations and executives. He spent almost two years as the Chief of Staff in Congress. During his time working on Capitol Hill, Ventry was one of the key players in the antitrust investigation into Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. A Democrat Congressional aide who worked with Ventry tells me, “Garrett was the most important Republican staffer when it came to reining in Big Tech, we couldn’t of advanced our bipartisan agenda and investigation without him.”
For his part, Ventry credits his success to a unique combination of skills, tenacity, and personality. “For me, it is resilience and not backing down,” he says. “Most people are lazy, so if you are willing to outwork others, you will probably win and succeed.” He’s even turned one flaw into an asset: “My professional life and personal life bleed over so much.” However, this lack of a work/life balance plays in his favor. “I simply wake up really early and attack the day.”
He strives for two other qualities in himself and looks for in others: trust and “deliverables.” Ventry says, “If you cannot trust, you can’t have valuable professional relationships. And if you or the other person can’t deliver, the professional relationship is useless.”
With the possibility of a Republicans controlling Congress and Donald Trump back in the White House, Ventry is a person to watch.
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