SALT LAKE CITY (Nov. 9, 2026) — Foxley & Pignanelli, Utah’s leading bipartisan government relations and lobbying firm, is now Utah Capitol Partners. The new brand takes effect today. The firm’s three partners, its client relationships, and its work at the Utah State Capitol continue without interruption, now under a brand name that states plainly the focus of the firm and how it works.
Utah Capitol Partners represents businesses, trade associations, and institutions before the Legislature, state agencies, and city and county governments. It also serves national clients with interests in Utah. Frank Pignanelli leads the firm as managing partner alongside partners Renae Cowley and Steve Styler. Mel Robe is an invaluable associate to the firm.
“Obscurity can prevent results,” Pignanelli said. “Organizations come to us because they need to accomplish an important objective within the governmental arena, and they do not know the process or the people. Utah Capitol Partners removes those barriers with strategic government relations that bring clarity, trust, and results. The new name says exactly what we do and where we do it.”
“The Utah State Capitol is an internationally recognized icon of strength, innovation, and practical governance. We are proud to have the image of this magnificent building as our new brand,” added Pignanelli.
As the state’s population and economy grow, more organizations find that a permit, an appropriation, a rule change, or a bill before the Utah Legislature will decide whether a project moves forward. Growth in energy, water, technology, healthcare, financial services, and development increases those decisions every year, and more organizations need an experienced advocate at the Utah State Capitol and in local government. Utah Capitol Partners has done that work for nearly three decades.
The firm handles legislative advocacy, state appropriations, regulatory and agency matters, local government approvals, and campaign and referendum strategy. For development clients, the partners take a project from the first conversation through approvals, incentives, and permitting to completion. Year-round, the partners read every bill before the Utah Legislature and every proposed state administrative rule so clients hear about a potential problem before it becomes one.
“Our clients manage companies, utilities, and associations,” Cowley said. “They should not have to become experts in the legislative process to succeed. We do that work so they can do theirs. “Partners” is the operative word in our name. We sit on the client’s side of the table, and we stay there until the work is done.”
Utah Capitol Partners often resolves a client’s problem through clarifying legislation rather than a lawsuit, an approach that saves months and, in many cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal expenses. The partners have used it to settle questions of crane airspace rights for Utah’s construction industry and ownership of geothermal resources, among others. The firm also excels at strategic planning for businesses and organizations, helping with public affairs and strengthening their ability to compete.
“Utah’s biggest opportunities right now are in water, energy, and development, and every one of them runs through the government at some level,” Styler said. “Clients need a firm that understands the law, the agencies, and the Legislature as one system. That is what we have built, and the Utah Capitol Partners brand reflects it.”
Pignanelli is a former Minority Leader of the Utah House of Representatives, an attorney, and an expert in healthcare and financial services policy. Cowley is a campaign consultant who leads the firm’s technology-focused government relations work. Styler is an attorney focused on water law, energy, and development. Pignanelli and Cowley co-write a Deseret News political opinion column.
All current client engagements continue under the Utah Capitol Partners brand. The firm’s offices, phone numbers, and partners are unchanged. The firm’s new website is at UtahCapitolPartners.com.