To date, no media outlet has asked the pointed question and received an answer from Aim Higher NC on who their backers are. We do know that Organize2020, the NCAE member-led protest arm, says they are not involved. We also know that Rob Black of Red Wolf Communications is being called a ‘spokesperson‘ for Aim Higher in the media. Black was a former communications directors for the Teamsters.

The only clue is the Aim Higher website. At the bottom, it says”Built by Powerthru Consulting”. A click on that text takes you to a PowerThru Consulting page although the address remains ‘AimHigherNC.com’. Now, click on ‘Clients‘.  If you hover over that link, you see the real address – PowerThru. There is a long list of Unions on it, of which the AFL-CIO and Progress NC stand out as having a presence in North Carolina:

Unions/PACs/Political Organizations:

• AFL-CIO
• African American Voter REP (AAVREP)
• American Bridge
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
• American Working Families
• Florida Watch Action
• Greater Wisconsin (Say No To Vouchers)
• Gun Free Kids (Keep Guns Off Campus)
• Keep Oregon Working
• Mayors Against Illegal Guns
• Michigan AFL-CIO
• Minnesota United for All Families
• New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS)
• PAC+
• Progress Iowa
• Progress Michigan
• Progress NC
• Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC)
• Progressive Democrats of America
• Progressive Kick
• Progressive Majority
• The Education Initiative (Nevada)
• USAction Fund for a True Majority
• VoteVets
• We Are Michigan
• We Are Ohio
• We Are Wisconsin

Multiple NC politicians have also used the services of Powerthru:

• Terry Bellamy for Congress (NC-10)
• City Councilmember Cecil Bothwell (Asheville, NC)
• State Treasurer Janet Cowell (North Carolina)
• Laura Fjeld for Congress (NC-06)
• Patsy Keever for Congress (NC-10)
• Eric Mansfield for Lieutenant Governor (North Carolina)
• Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (North Carolina)
• Keith Ruehl for Congress (NC-11)
• Jason Thigpen for Congress (NC-03)
• Steve Wilkins for Congress (NC-02)

A WHOIS search on PowerThru Consulting shows a privately registered domain; no registrant details:

Domain Name: POWERTHRUCONSULTING.COM
Registry Domain ID: NA
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.dreamhost.com
Registrar URL: http://www.dreamhost.com
Updated Date: 2013-12-16 16:18:27Z
Creation Date: 2010-05-17 08:32:41Z
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2015-05-17 15:32:41Z
Registrar: DREAMHOST
Registrar IANA ID: 431
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: domain-abuse@dreamhost.com
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.2132719359
Domain Status: ok
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name: PRIVATE REGISTRANT
Registrant Organization: A HAPPY DREAMHOST CUSTOMER
Registrant Street: 417 ASSOCIATED RD #324
Registrant Street: C/O POWERTHRUCONSULTING.COM
Registrant City: BREA
Registrant State/Province: CA
Registrant Postal Code: 92821
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.7147064182

While anonymously registered, the PowerThru Consulting site does give a phone number for contact which is 202-525-7697. That’s a cell phone out of Washington, D.C. according to reverse look up.  That location is confirmed by their Facebook Page. Left leaning NationBuilder lists that same number and some more details on PowerThru Consulting:

Team of political & campaign strategists building beautiful websites and activating people-power for Democrats and progressive non-profits.

• Project rate: $100/hour · Projects starting at $6,000 · Landing pages & microsites starting at $1500
• Contact: info@powerthruconsulting.com · powerthruconsulting.com  · 202-525-7697

A hundred bucks an hour with projects starting at 6k? Who is paying for Aim Higher’s project? Still no answer but it might be a good bet there is union money somewhere in the mix.

Side Notes on PowerThru LLC:

• It appears to be a small LLC according to their LinkedIn page.
• Employees located include Mike Nellis, who has written articles at Huffington Post.
• Employee Laura Packard is located out of Detroit, MI and was hired in 2011.
• Another employee located is Drew Hudson, with current position listed as, “Executive Director at Environmental Action partner at PowerThru Consulting member at VPIRG Board of Directors”.   VPIRG and PIRG are Tides Foundation grant recipients. Hudson was hired at the same time as Sarah Ackerman.
• In 2013, they hired a real “organizer”, one Jesse Bacon.
• PowerThru LLC was a paid by the AFL-CIO to website development for state advocacy items. The address listed was not a D.C. address like the phone number, but instead had Vermont address of 1740 HINESBURG ROAD RICHMOND VT 05477. Realtor.com shows that address to be private property.

What does it say about Aim Higher NC that I could find out so much about who is helping run their campaign but next to nothing about who Aim Higher NC is?