Tech Business Honors Mayor Jerry Brown for Economic Development of Downtown Oakland

    OAKLAND, Calif.--Nov. 28, 2001--Oakland City Mayor Jerry Brown received the High-Tech Economic Development Award in honorable recognition of the growth of technology business in downtown Oakland from business consulting and systems integration firm Syncata Corporation which opened new offices in Downtown Oakland's historical landmark, The Central Building at 436 14th Street.
    "Business continues to thrive in Oakland," said Mayor Jerry Brown. "Syncata is demonstrating that growth is possible despite the reported economic downturn. It's an honor to receive this High-Tech Economic Development Award from such dynamic leaders," continued Mayor Brown.
    Oakland -- the eighth largest city in California with a population of nearly 400,000 according to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau -- has recently received much notoriety from the press for its standing as one of the best cities in the country for doing business.
    Last April, Newsweek named Oakland the leader among the nation's top 10 technology cities and the Wall Street Journal's "Landauer Realty Office Momentum Index" rated Oakland the nation's No. 1 office market through 2005. In May, Forbes ranked Oakland the 10th best place to do business in the United States.
    "Syncata is honored to present Oakland City Mayor Jerry Brown with this High-Tech Economic Development Award," said Marianne Grant, Syncata's principal in charge of the firm's Oakland office. "This laser-etched silicon wafer featuring the City Seal symbolizes the fusion of high-tech business and the City of Oakland."
    Syncata Corporation, an information technology-consulting firm with additional offices in El Segundo and Irvine, will continue to service a number of its high profile clients out of their Oakland offices, including billion-dollar Silicon Valley-based chipmaker Linear Technology Corporation for whom Syncata recently deployed the beta version of Microsoft's BizTalk Server 2000. The solution allows Linear Technology Corp. to receive millions of dollars in purchase orders from distributor Arrow Electronics. Syncata's other clients include Xilinx, J.P. Morgan Partners, American Honda and Pacific Life Insurance Company.
    "After an extensive cost-benefit analysis, we believe no other city in the Bay area compares to Oakland," said Grant. "When you factor in real estate prices, the available technology talent pool to draw from and the City's services and infrastructure, Oakland is in a class all its own," continued Grant.
    Syncata's new Oakland offices will feature a high-tech "Visioning Center" comprised of a central boardroom with adjoining, but separate conference rooms. The layout -- which was designed to accommodate the interdisciplinary strategic planning phase of systems integration -- will be equipped with wireless connectivity, dry-erase surfaced walls with digital capture capability and projection systems throughout.
    "In the strategic planning phase of technology systems integration, form follows function in more ways than one," said Grant. "Syncata's new Visioning Center demonstrates the impact an intelligent work space can have on the strategic planning process," added Grant.
    The High-Tech Economic Development Award, which was conceived and designed by Syncata principal Marianne Grant, features the Oakland City Seal engraved on an actual silicon wafer, the material used to fabricate semiconductors. The wafer to is suspended between two pieces of crystal.

    About Syncata Corporation

    Syncata (http://www.syncata.com) provides business consulting and systems integration services that help companies plan and implement innovative solutions for the extended enterprise. The firm helps clients collaborate effectively, plan adaptively and respond rapidly to enhance business performance and realize measurable value. Syncata assists clients in assessing strategic options and guides them through the detailed process of change management and technology implementation involved in delivering a practical solution. Syncata has over a decade of experience working across various industries including automotive, high-tech manufacturing, financial services and insurance.

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