People on Trial – Dan McGrew

Since its founding 25 years ago, Southern Group has been at the forefront of lobbying, launching its own consulting firm, TSG Advisors, last year to help clients get their projects off the ground.

I sat down with Dan McGrewSenior Workforce Advisor at TSG Advisors—Education to learn more about his work in and out of the office. I hope you enjoy this special edition of People In The Process.

Blake Dowling: Tell us more about TSG Advisors.

Dan McGrew: TSG Advisors is a consulting firm spun out of The Southern Group. Our strategic alliance with The Southern Group allows us to offer a more expansive approach, with one team directly influencing government decisions and the other focused on practical implementation. Lobbyists at The Southern Group build a “sandbox” by changing policy and advocating for funding. TSG Advisors plays in that sandbox, helping educational entities with research projects, program development, application submissions, supporting senior management, and helping with growth strategies. Our distinct but synergistic roles provide comprehensive and effective solutions for the clients we serve.

Our advisors serve clients by helping them implement policy changes and post-legislation state policies or legislative proposals. We work with our clients to bring products and services to market, provide support for grant applications, policy and research development, and more. We work with organizations to serve as subject matter experts, guiding them toward their implementation goals and needs.

BD: Let’s talk about community service. What interested you in Leadership Tallahassee?

DM: I had just returned to Tallahassee after a 10-year journey from Boston to New York, Dallas, and Chicago. This time, however, I had a wife and a child. As a college student, I really only knew the (part of) Tallahassee that was bounded by Ocala, Tennessee, Pensacola, and Monroe. It wasn’t long after that that I came across Leadership Tallahassee through the Chamber and local economic development entities. Knowing that the program provided an immersive experience in different aspects of the Tallahassee community really piqued my interest.

BD:What motivated you to become a member of the governing body of this organization?

DM: After my experience in the 31st grade, I couldn’t look at community the same way anymore. I recognized the power of this unique experience as an opportunity to change my perspective on how community works and the power of bringing different perspectives together to solve big problems. Leadership Tallahassee really opened my eyes to the complex synergies and interconnected elements of community, and I felt strongly that leaders in Tallahassee needed to experience the same. I slowly increased my involvement, first through Youth Leadership Tallahassee, as a retreat leader, then as a curriculum chair, and then as a curriculum chair for the flagship adult program. These experiences gave me the opportunity to see firsthand that my experience wasn’t limited to one year and that Leadership Tallahassee truly transforms our community, one leader at a time. As a member of the Board of Governors, I am committed to ensuring that the organization continues to grow and remain a cornerstone of this community. I believe that when we work together toward a common goal, we can share and leverage resources across sectors to accomplish great things.

That’s what I love about workforce development and the work we do at TSG Advisors – Education. Successful workforce development initiatives require collaboration not only across education, industry and government, but across neighborhoods and community organizations. When we help clients better understand the landscapes of the community – who the players are, what the rules are, what the goals of the different stakeholders are, and where we can find common ground – that’s when workforce initiatives have the greatest chance of success. We help clients leverage all the tools available to them and help bring these parties together to make a difference.

BDTell us about your family.

DM: My parents met as missionaries in Peru and began their life together in Miami, where they raised three children, me and two younger sisters. After my mother died when I was 13, we were raised by my father and an extensive network of aunts and cousins ​​from the Philippines. My wife’s family moved to Florida via Maine and New York, and now Florida is home to most of our family. We have four wonderful children: a junior, a freshman, a seventh grader, and a third grader. Life moves fast and gets faster.

BD: What are you most proud of in your career?

DM: When I look back on the last 28 years, I am truly proud of the breadth of experience I have had and the opportunity to use that breadth to help others achieve their goals. I graduated from FSU with a degree in Biological Sciences and parlayed that into a successful career, first managing the quality of instruction and teaching for an educational company, then leading national program design and marketing for the SAT and ACT programs to lead operations in the North Texas area. From there, I led national operations and strategy for the company’s K-12 tutoring division, and then moved into higher education, where I served as the college director for a private technical school before officially transitioning into workforce development. In all of these endeavors, I am most proud of always being in a position to help others achieve their career goals – and I continue to do so today, which is really exciting.

BD:What do you love about the state of Florida?

DM: I’ve lived in many places in my life, but Florida has always been home. Growing up, my family would go to the beach every Saturday, and the water is a big part of what makes Florida home for me. Now, in North Florida, I can get to the water within an hour, but we have so much more. Our trail system in the Tallahassee area stretches for over 700 miles and allows you to explore a rich and diverse wilderness on foot, bike, or paddle. I love the opportunity to get outside and easily enter a different landscape.

BD: What is the most important issue facing Floridians this year, from your professional perspective?

DM: I look at this question from a workforce perspective. There are a lot of interesting things happening in Florida right now. Our population has been growing rapidly for several years. We currently have over 23 million people and we are one of the fastest growing states in the U.S. We have an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent, but employers are still struggling to fill positions. There are over 394,000 open positions and about 366,000 people looking for work. In addition, there is a persistent skills gap between the unemployed and the skills that employers are looking for. As a state, we have over 240,000 people between the ages of 18 and 24 without a high school diploma and another 1.7 million people over the age of 25 without a high school diploma.

This September, as we celebrate National Workforce Development Month, it is critical that we continue to prioritize these efforts in our education systems across the state. Florida has made impressive progress in diversifying its economy, expanding beyond hospitality, tourism, and retail to high-skilled sectors like manufacturing, financial services, aerospace, and healthcare. The real challenge now lies in developing sustainable workforce ecosystems that can build and sustain talent pipelines for these thriving industries. This will require collaboration across stakeholders to address not only training but also critical needs like housing, child care, and expanding our workforce to include nonstandard workers. These are complex issues, but in Florida, we are seeing incredible success stories, community by community. At TSG Advisors, we are excited to help advance these initiatives and make a difference in our local economies.

Thank you, Dan, for your commitment to our state. See you next time for more tech stories, cyber news, and people involved in the Process.

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