Scott Vinson

Scott Vinson Can someone who?s not a restaurateur speak for an entire industry?Just watch.

The congressional review Act wasn't something that most people could discuss off the top of their heads.This was true even for habitues of Capitol Hill, where obscure laws, rules, and regulations are about as common as navy-blue suits.

...
But Scott Vinson could discuss it.

Vinson, fresh in his lobbying job for the National Council of Chain Restaurants, knew that the Act gave Congress a window of time in which to reject regulations issued by various federal agencies.And he knew that the Act, in this instance, would provide the best chance possible for killing a new set of ergonomic regulations -- long derided within the business community as being too costly -- that would hit chain restaurants especially hard.

And so Vinson played an instrumental role in a lobbying campaign to quash the regulations, joining an effort that invoked the Congressional Review Act for the first time in U.S. history for such a purpose.Under Congressional scrutiny -- brought about in part by Vinson's efforts -- the regulations did not survive.

It was, as Vinson recalls, "a great example of the business community coming together."

Luckily for the members Vinson represents, among them McDonald's, Starbucks, and AFC, he'd earned his stripes at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and was thus very familiar with the ins and outs of Congress.In practice, Vinson's no closer to running an actual restaurant than George Washington -- but that's really the whole point.A Congressional insider is what NCCR wanted, and with Vinson, that's what it got.

"Scott has what I call 'the filter,' " says Steve Brigandi, corporate counsel for Jack in the Box.
...
A former civil servant with a law degree, Vinson (now NCCR's senior director of government relations) carries chain-restaurant agendas daily by meeting with policymakers to discuss industry positions, attending issues coalitions, and relaying pertinent information back to the legal brass at member chains.

This is not to say that there aren't restaurants in Vinson's genes.As a teen, he cooked at an A&W and scooped at a Baskin-Robbins.After moving to D.C., he waited tables.Vinson recalls that these jobs provided him with not just free grub, but a little knowledge of how restaurants work.

Yet it's what he doesn't know that he believes makes him a better lobbyist.Not spending more time in the restaurant industry "makes it that much more important for me to stay in close contact with our member companies," Vinson says, "and to stay on top of the issues."

His past experiences are a major part of that.At the Chamber of Commerce, Vinson managed labor and immigration policy -- two massive issues for restaurateurs.He's also proficient at tax law (another industry biggie), which he studied at law school.This serves him well as he pores over tax bills.
...
"What makes Scott special is his intelligent and personable approach to getting things done," says Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL).