James C. Wiltraut, Jr.

How Jim Helps Clients 

Jim and Buchanan’s team of government relations professionals bring a passion to their work with a focus on making things better for those they represent. Sometimes that means working with the U.S. military and veterans and sometimes that means working for the companies that supply them or for the non-profits that take up their causes. For him, government relations is about helping clients develop key relationships, shape policy and access federal funds through Congress’ ever-changing appropriations process.

• Jim guided one of the world’s largest energy trading companies to build new strategic partnerships with local, state and federal governments which brought about the company’s return to the City of New Orleans.
• Utilizing the U.S. Government’s own studies, he drew attention to the fact that unsafe personal protective gear was being issued to U.S. forces on the front lines; resulting in millions of dollars in new business for a firm client.
• He and his team continue to help a group of steel companies to get millions of federal dollars to modernize forging and casting capabilities in order to more efficiently deliver products to their shipbuilding partners and America’s Navy.
• Jim created relationship development campaigns for several Fortune 100 companies, including the world's largest quick service restaurant chain.
• Representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, he shaped the policy arguments used to prevent the U.S. Secretary of Defense from deactivating the 111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.
• Played a key role in the formation of the National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he managed the National Guard and Reserve Equipment (NG&RE) list, providing more than $600 million annually in equipment modernization to U.S. Reserve forces.

Though best known in Washington for his work in national defense and homeland security, Jim also has experience representing energy companies, colleges and universities and the largest quick-service restaurant chain on the planet.

A 44-year veteran of the military, Jim retired as a Captain from the United States Navy. He was a senior advisor to three secretaries of defense and two chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Jim deployed as part of Operation Just Cause (Panama), Operation Enduring Freedom (Philippines) and Resolute Support (Afghanistan).