TFA/LEO BURNETT TECHNOLOGY GROUP OPENS OFFICE IN AUSTIN First full-service Burnett office in the Southwest AUSTIN, TX - March 3, 1999 - TFA/Leo Burnett Technology Group, Chicago’s largest and one of the nation’s leading integrated marketing communications agencies serving the high technology industry, today announced the opening of a full-service office in Austin, TX. The move underscores TFA/Leo Burnett Technology Group’s commitment to better serving the growing region, which is expected to expand by two percent in 1999 and has seen a triple growth rate in high-technology employment over the last ten years. The establishment of an Austin operation supports TFA/Leo Burnett Technology Group’s corporate vision of becoming the leading business-to-business integrated marketing agency for the high-technology sector. Austin, ranked number one in a recent Fortune magazine survey as "Best City for Business," provides a superior growth environment for TFA/Leo Burnett Technology Group. "The synergy between TFA/Leo Burnett Technology Group’s marketing communications expertise and the thriving Austin high-technology sector offers extremely attractive growth opportunities for the organization," said Sean B. Bisceglia, TFA/Leo Burnett Technology Group chief executive officer. "By 2000, we anticipate our total Austin billings to account for 30 percent of TFA/Leo Burnett Technology Group’s total national revenue." A five-year veteran of TFA Communications, Scott Murray has been named president of TFA/Leo Burnett Technology Group, Austin. He will direct current client operations and new business development efforts for the company. Initially, 12 employees will staff the new office located at 816 Congress Avenue in the downtown area. The agency anticipates the staff to grow to more than 30 by year’s end. "For all of the right reasons, the Southwest marketplace is an ideal location for TFA/Leo Burnett Technology Group," said Murray. "Leo Burnett’s heritage and brand-building expertise coupled with TFA’s proven success in the high-technology integrated marketing arena strategically positions us for success." For the Leo Burnett Company, the opening of the TFA/Leo Burnett Technology Group Austin office represents the first time in its 64-year history Burnett has had a full-service office in Texas. "It’s also a clear demonstration of our aggressive move into technology," said Linda Wolf, president of Leo Burnett U.S.A. "Creating TFA/Leo Burnett was the first major initiative designed to quickly gain us a leadership role in technology marketing. With that accomplished, we are now moving strategically to create centers of excellence in markets dominated by technology clients." In the technology sector, well-established firms such as Dell Computers, Motorola, Advanced Micro Devices and Samsung, as well as small to mid-sized technology firms are flourishing. It is estimated that Austin’s high-technology work force will grow by more than 55,000 employees over the next two years. According to a KPMG Peat Marwick report, there are already roughly 200 semiconductor manufacturers and suppliers, 260 personal computer manufacturers and suppliers and more than 800 software firms operating in Austin - known within the industry as "Silicon Hills." Next Article Press Archive