Bodewell Group, formerly Southwest Strategies Group, rebranded in February 2026. (Courtesy of Bodewell Group)

A public affairs firm with a growing Central Valley presence has relocated its Fresno office and rebranded, positioning itself to capitalize on what it describes as a generational wave of infrastructure investment.

Southwest Strategies Group — now Bodewell Group — signed a lease last August for 2,080 square feet at 265 E. River Park Circle, Suite 250, relocating its Fresno operations from downtown to the River Park commercial district in north Fresno. The space was leased from River Park Properties III. Tony Cortopassi of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord and Nick Sorenson of Newmark Pearson Commercial represented the tenant.

The relocation coincided with a broader corporate transformation. In February 2026, Southwest Strategies Group rebranded as Bodewell Group, consolidating several acquired agencies — including Katz & Associates, BergDavis Public Affairs, ColLAborate and Kiterocket — under a single brand. The firm is headquartered in San Diego and has offices in Fresno, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle, with roughly 140 employees.

“Bodewell Group was built for this moment,” said Chris Wahl, Founder and CEO. “In a period of historic infrastructure expansion, our clients need clarity and alignment.”

The firm provides strategic communications, government relations and community outreach services for public agencies, utilities and private developers. Locally, Bodewell has been involved in infrastructure and planning efforts, including a Fresno County mobility hub study led by the Fresno Council of Governments examining potential transit hubs in Fresno, Clovis, Parlier and San Joaquin.

Bodewell’s roots in the region trace back to the firm’s founding in 2000 by Wahl and Alan Ziegaus, who built Southwest Strategies into one of the larger public affairs agencies on the West Coast.