As CRD Associates celebrates its 35th year in business, let's look back at how it all began...

In 1980, before there was Taylor Swift there was Pink Floyd. Before the masses embraced Downtown Abbey there was Upstairs, Downstairs. And the Republican party had just gained control of the Senate.

The year also marked the start of what some dubbed a "boutique" lobbying shop that would evolve into a full-service public policy and government relations firm, called CRD Associates.

The idea of putting together a lobbying shop 35 years ago was the brainchild of Nick Cavarocchi, Sr.

Nick launched the firm with his colleague, Joyce Briscoe. The two had first worked together at the Group Health Association, where they formed a bond that would span over three decades, until Joyce's death in early 2012.

In late 1980, Nick reached out to Dom Ruscio who, a few months earlier had left the Carter
administration, and asked him to join the firm. "It'll be fun," he said.

After Dom accepted Nick's offer, a sparse office rented from the Association of Home Economics became world headquarters for CR Associates--though the location prompted one
colleague to question whether this was actually a front for some other business venture!

Coming from House appropriations, Nick carried an inherent frugality gene that would serve the firm and its clients well. "Clients pay for service," he'd say, "not leather couches." Everyone shared one IBM Selectric typewriter and a Texas Instruments calculator; and the supply room doubled as a reception area.

As time passed, new clients came knocking. Soon a handful of kitchen table advocates from across the country banded together around a little-known disorder, then thought to be a natural consequence of aging. They suspected it wasn't, and asked CRD Associates to educate Congress about Alzheimer's disease.

As our reputation grew, so did the demand for our services, forcing Nick to admit, "We need more help." That's when, in 1994, we found Lyle Dennis--the "kid" as he was known at the time.

Lyle had cut his teeth in the hard-scrabble world of New Jersey politics, including stints as chief of staff to Rep. Barney Dwyer, a member of the House appropriations committee, and New Jersey Governor Jim Florio's liaison to Congress.

CRD Present - 2015

What began as a two-person, boiler-room operation, has since grown to a team of seasoned experts well-versed in policy development across a broad range of topics.

While we've come a long way since those early days, CRD Associates has held firm to a philosophy that values personalized service, expertise, integrity and a fresh perspective on problem-solving.