Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Erin Niemela

92. Erin Niemela

Another lobbyist with a very broad client base, from giants like JP Morgan, Sony, StubHub, Salesforce, Hewlett Packard, Owens Corning and eBay to the small town of Apple Valley California… all of which helped quietly but firmly plant Niemela Pappas & Associates in the top 10 of lobbyist billings in the first quarter of this year. Like most members of the third house, she started out working the building, including a stint as chief of staff to former Senate pro Tem Don Perata. Her woman-owned firm has been growing a lot in recent years, and she can claim expertise in a variety of different areas. As sources told us, Niemela is considered to be one of the true up and comers in the third house, and is likely to be on this list in years to come.