5th Gear Opens New San Francisco Headquarters; Latest Cunningham Office Expansion to Support West Coast Entrepreneurial Spirit.

Business Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2000

5th Gear, a public relations firm specializing in Internet start-ups and an operating company of Cunningham Communication, Inc., today announced the opening of its new headquarters at 101 Second Street, Suite 2250, in San Francisco.

Located in the city's sought-after SOMA neighborhood, a breeding ground for Internet start-ups and dot-coms, this newly constructed office will serve as home base to 5th Gear and employees of Cunningham's other operating units and corporate staff. With a capacity to house up to 50 people, the San Francisco facility marks the fourth office in the U.S. for the growing Cunningham family. Additional U.S. and international offices are planned this calendar year.

According to Dennis Maxwell, president of 5th Gear, the geographic location of his company's new office is deliberate, as he sees the surrounding neighborhood as one of his biggest markets. "5th Gear operates on the principle of working, acting and thinking like a start-up. With some of the world's hottest start-ups and dot-coms at our doorstep, and with the legacy and business acumen we bring as part of Cunningham Communication, we feel 5th Gear is positioned to be San Francisco's leading public relations firm, specializing in start-ups," Maxwell said.

5th Gear was formed as an operating unit of Cunningham in 4Q 1999 focusing on early stage and Internet companies. It serves as a client's strategic marketing and communications team and sets forth responsive and strategic counsel and implementation during key growth periods. Services include public relations, market positioning, company launches and strategic alliance development. Since its development, 5th Gear has operated out of Cunningham's corporate headquarters located in Palo Alto, California.

5th Gear HQ: aesthetically-pleasing and employee-friendly

In addition to being in the midst of San Francisco's hotbed of dot-com innovation, the new Cunningham office and 5th Gear headquarters, located in a new building designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, was developed to attract additional talent and maximize employee satisfaction.

Designed by Louis Schump, senior associate, and Tom Chiaramonte, job captain, of the San Francisco-based NBBJ Group, the office space was inspired by the marine life surrounding San Francisco. "There is an irreverence and a playfulness to the interior's lines. At the same time, there are spaces that evoke contemplation and thought. We see this as a direct reflection of how 5th Gear operates and helps its clients address public relations and marketing challenges," said Schump.

With majestic and soaring views of the water, Oakland and San Francisco's new Pacific Bell Park, the contemporary and customized 5th Gear space is a sharp contrast to most loft reuses frequently found in this South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood. "Recruiting and keeping talent was one of our main objectives in designing this space. We intended to create a place where an employee could maintain a creative and competitive edge and would be proud to claim this address as a work home," Schump said.

About 5th Gear

5th Gear addresses the increasing needs of Internet companies and the venture capital community concentrated on the West Coast. With a flexible, adaptive approach to engagements, the company works on an equity-and-fee model and offers a spectrum of services designed to help companies achieve successful market position in the new global economy. Operationally, 5th Gear brings together small, dedicated teams of industry professionals to work on a client's behalf.

About Cunningham Communication, Inc.

5th Gear is one of six synergistic operating companies in the Cunningham Communications, Inc., family. Through marketing partnerships and consulting engagements, Cunningham helps clients build, manage and maintain brand momentum in the new economy. The company provides public relations, brand management, market research, specialized services for start-ups and organizational strategies.

At the center of these service and product offerings is a proprietary research-based methodology, called Cunningham Momentum Management(TM), which identifies opportunities for building market leadership.

The Cunningham family of companies often collaborate to deliver an integrated suite of solutions, or they can work independently as required. The other operating companies include Cunningham Public Relations, the Brand Momentum Group, Cunningham Ventures, InMomentum and the Momentum Research Group.

Momentum Management is a trademark of Cunningham Communication, Inc.