|
Corvallis/
Sanda Communications is carving out technology niche
By EDMUND K. JOYCE
Gazette-Times reporter
December 21, 1998
Two men
with a mix of backgrounds in advertising, journalism, electronics
and robotics engineering have combined to create an advertising
agency in Corvallis.
Sanda
Communications was born last January, when Jerry Saveriano
and Scott McCannell merged their two companies, Saveriano
& Associates and McCannell + Associates.
Saveriano,
52, has been a marketing consultant for high-tech firms for
more than 20 years.
The 35-year-old
McCannell worked at a local advertising agency as a copywriter
for three years before starting his own design shop in Corvallis.
“We
are new, aggressive and know our stuff,” said Saveriano,
president of the firm.
The two
have worked well together, despite what Saveriano calls a
few bumps in the road.
The company
refers to itself as “storytellers for the information
age” because it develops creative concepts for information-age
media as well as traditional media.
“We've
done very well and have been profitable in our first year
in business,” Saveriano said.
The company
targets high-tech firms and functions as a sort of marketing
department on wheels for start-up companies.
Sanda
creates an image for small, developing high-tech companies
using brochures, Web sites and other sales materials to give
smaller firms the same credibility and style as larger, more
established companies.
It recently
designed a presentation folder for software developer Corvallis
System Sales. CSS has developed sales automation technology
to simplify order entries and transmission.
Because
many sales people have been slow to adopt this new technology,
Sanda worked to develop an “automate or die” theme
to impress potential customers with a sense of urgency.
Other
clients include Tripod Data Systems, the Oregon Library Association
and Little Industries, a company that manufactures attachments
for Caterpillar and Massey-Ferguson tractors.
The work
of the Corvallis agency has netted it several awards for advertising
excellence.
Along with the two founders, Sanda has five employees who
provide illustration, public relations, video, photography,
multi-media and advisory services.
Saveriano
and McCannell bring a firsthand understanding of technology
and manufacturing as the lead players of Sanda Communications.
McCannell,
the firm's vice president and creative director, has taught
desktop publishing at Oregon State University, Linn-Benton
Community College and local businesses.
Saveriano
wears several hats at the firm, including account executive,
management consultant, media buyer ad copywriter.
He has
written and lectured for decades on advanced automation technologies,
such as computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM),
robotics and geomatics.
Geomatics
is a new term that embraces surveying, mapping, geographical
information systems and global positioning systems. Saveriano
writes a monthly column for Geoinformatics, a European magazine.
He is also the president of the Corvallis chapter of the Software
Association of Oregon.
McCannell
and Saveriano have technical backgrounds ranging from robotics
to electronics.
Both served
in the U.S. navy-Saveriano was an aviation electronics technician
while McCannell was an electronics technician.
Apart
from their common experience in the Navy, the two also blend
a passive-aggressive nature, with a simmering intensity that
comes from competing against high-powered marketing and advertising
firms.
That intensity
recently paid off when Sanda landed the business of Fluence,
a Beaverton-based software company, beating out a leading
Bay area advertising agency.
It's the
kind of aggressive, 24-hour-a-day approach that's driving
Sanda to open an office in the Portland area early next year.
Even though
the firm may open another office, the agency doesn't plan
to move out of its Corvallis offices in the Business Enterprise
Center anytime soon.
Both Saveriano
and McCannell say they will continue to bring big-city energy
and small-town service to the Willamette Valley.
### About Sanda Communications
Sanda Communications is a privately held integrated marketing communications
agency serving emerging and expanding West Coast high tech companies. Services
include marketing, advertising and public relations. Sanda currently has fully
staffed locations in Corvallis and Portland. For more information about Sanda
Communications, visit the company web site at www.sandacom.com.
|
Portland Office
224 N.W. Broadway
Portland, OR 97209
Phone: 503.445.2400
Fax: 503.546.4434 |
Corvallis Office
800 N.W. Starker Suite 15
Corvallis, OR 97330
Phone: 541.752.7080
Fax: 541.752.2415 |
|
