Susie Wiles' private ventures

America’s first female White House Chief of Staff has always been keen to stay out of the spotlight. Unlike many senior figures in the executive branch, Susie S. Wiles is a veteran politician. Her path to the executive office was, however, scattered with ventures into the private sector. The Ice Maiden, as she’s known in the Executive Office, once co-owned a Ponte Vedra catering service with her mother.

Wiles’ professional career began in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a Republican intern. Connections through her father, Pat Summerall, a prominent sports broadcaster and former NFL kicker, helped her land an internship with Jack Kemp. Her venture as a small-business owner came after she served in junior roles connected to the orbit of Ronald Reagan, including a position on his campaign.

In Florida

Wiles met her husband, Lanny, during her days in Washington. In the early 1980s, they relocated to Sawgrass near Ponte Vedra Beach, in St. Johns County. The location cut her role as Information Officer for Jacksonville short after only six months due to an old Residency Rule in Duval County. Meanwhile, he was operating two Bojangles franchises and was listed as President of Columbia Food Systems with Pat Summerall as Director.

Kathy Summerall was Secretary-Treasurer of her son-in-laws corporation, which was dissolved in 1987. She later purchased a 50% stake in a catering service called Taste Buds in 1986 with her daughter. Within five months, they assumed full ownership of the establishment, according to local news reports and State records. Wiles devoted some time in 1988 to the Bush-Quayle campaign focused on the vice-presidential ticket. But the family establishment remained open during that time.

Taste Buds merged with a retail store and catering service formerly known as Foodworks. Summerall continued to operate the combined businesses under the Taste Buds of Florida Inc name with her daughter. They hoped the merger would increase sales by 80%. State records list Wiles as a Director and the Secretary-Treasurer. Annual reports filed between 1988 and February 1991 list Summerall as Director and President.

Closing the doors

According to court records, Lanny Wiles fell into financial distress and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in May 1991. Susan was listed as a Lanny F. Wiles & Associates Inc. As such, they were both listed as joint debtors, leading to liens on his their assets due to liabilities of $3M. During the bankruptcy, Wiles became involved in her father’s struggle with alcohol.

She recently noted the deleterious toll that the late Pat Summerall’s alcoholism took on the family in a Vanity Fair interview. He recovered with the assistance of his family, which included a successful intervention in May. We could not find Taste Buds of Florida Inc in the associated bankruptcy records. In August, Kathy Summerall was appointed to the Ottis Smith Foundation Board of Directors. Susie Wiles' first private venture end when Taste Buds was involuntarily dissolved by the State of Florida in October of 1992.

By 1992, though, State politics took center stage in her focus moving forward. It began in Florida on Tillie Fowler’s campaign. Having left the hospitality industry, Summerall and her daughter purchased a new home in Jacksonville’s beach community in 1995. Her political career eventually led to a nomination as Chief of Staff in the Jacksonville mayor’s office. Citing burnout in an interview with Jacksonville Daily Record, she left the position and opened an office with her former husband.

Tony Boselli opened an office with Wiles in 2011, which grew into Right Coast Strategies LLC. Most recently, Donald Trump’s campaign manager made $4M in profit through the lobbying firm. It had taken on Ballard Partners as one of its many clients, which itself represented several major companies across various industries. Ballard has lobbied for Trulieve Cannabis Corp, as an example. Wiles further claimed a $401K salary as an MSGDMNSM Ventures XXV LLC lobbyist, listing tech and tobacco clients.

Right Coast Strategies paused operations in December of 2024. And Wiles sold her interest in MSGDMNSM Ventures XXV LLC for $1 before her nomination to the Executive Office, according to her Financial Disclosure Report. Records for Voter Contact Solutions LLC, which filed annual reports in 2025 and 2026 and lists Wiles as a manager, do not appear in the DFR. In many ways, though, wealthy arms of the consumer industry use lobbyists as a bridge to connect with politicians. Whether Susie S. Wiles’ lobbying roles bridge her experience in consumer retail with her work in government, or instead reflect a broader revolving-door dynamic, remains open to interpretation.