Sacramento -- Already a Success Story; Marketing Campaign Promotes Area Successes -- Local Entrepreneurs Recognized as Urban Pioneers.

Business Editors

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 2000

"Sacramento is the place to be these days, and not just because of the Olympic Track and Field trials," said Sacramento Regional Marketing Council (SRMC) Chair Roger Niello. "Our region is on the verge of transforming California's economic and technological landscape. Change is in the air here. Everyone who lives here can sense it. We have all the elements of a young Silicon Valley and we're growing up fast and smart."

Niello's observations are currently being enforced by an SRMC-developed marketing campaign designed to change prevailing misconceptions about the region and foster regional pride. The campaign markets the many positive, and often overlooked, attributes of Sacramento and the surrounding counties beginning with the surge of local economic and business development seen in recent years.

"We (in Sacramento) have the business incentive plans, support services and employee livability factors to make the difference for entrepreneurs," stated Niello. "Small start-ups can be an 'also-ran' in the Bay Area or they can start here and be an Urban Pioneer. It's just that easy. And our campaign reflects all that we have to offer here."

Many experts also agree that elements in the region are playing a vital role in the future of economic growth and the advancement of the booming technology industry. According to a recent Labor Market Study by the California Employment Development Department, Sacramento's employment growth surged from roughly 15,000 in 1997 to nearly 40,000 in 1999.

"Sacramento is already a success story," Niello continued. "Many people have brought their companies here and been incredibly successful. Now we want people inside and outside our community to recognize our success."

The national campaign focuses on local "Urban Pioneers" -- people who have already blazed successful paths in various up-and-coming fields like biotechnology and Internet services. The historical reference to pioneers is also a nod to the region's heritage as prime Gold Rush territory in the mid 1800s.

Part of the goal of the national campaign is to attract more spawning start-ups, company headquarters and research and development facilities to the area by focusing on the strong elements already present here. Such development is anticipated to attract even more investor support, tourism and highly educated employees.

The local pride element of the campaign kicked off in July with the Sacramentoh! advertisement in Sacramento Magazine that featured the fact "Forbes magazine ranked the Sacramento area ahead of Silicon Valley as one of the `Best Places for Business and Careers.'" The local campaign will continue through September with print, outdoor and television advertising.

The national campaign beings during the Olympic Track and Field Trials with a television commercial promoting the "Urban Pioneer" concept. Two initial Urban Pioneers, AgraQuest CEO Pam Marrone and Realty Plus Online CEO Randy Lintecum, are featured in the commercial along with several other contenders for the Urban Pioneer title. Marrone and Lintecum were chosen as Urban Pioneers due to their personal and business successes, as well as their entrepreneurial spirit. The campaign will continue with Urban Pioneer advertisements and an interactive website at www.sacramentoup.com.

About the Sacramento Regional Marketing Council

In 1999, the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization (SACTO) Board of Directors allocated $50,000 toward the development of a communications strategy to favorably position Sacramento on the national stage. The effort crystallized in January of 2000 with the formation of the SRMC, a non-profit corporation made up of public and private organizations throughout the region. The SRMC's goal was to create a regional image campaign that accurately reflects the dynamics of the Sacramento area and supports broad economic efforts.