A&R Edelman Launches Green Team; New Group Advocates Clean Technology
New Clients Include Cree, Xantrex, Novazone and the California Clean Tech Open
SAN MATEO, Calif., May 17, 2006 – The accelerating depletion of affordable energy, safe food, clean water and other natural resources have captured the world’s attention. These issues have prompted a new category of businesses determined to improve energy efficiency, encourage energy independence, preserve natural resources and promote sustainable living. More than $1.6 billion of venture capital was invested in such “clean technology” businesses in 2005, according to research published in March by the Cleantech Venture Network. A&R Edelman today announced its support of this growing sector with a new practice devoted to clean technology including clients Cree Inc., Xantrex Technology Inc., Novazone Inc. and the California Clean Tech Open.
“Collectively, clean technology has the potential to address some of the world’s most important environmental, economic and social problems,” said Bob Angus, president and managing partner, A&R Edelman. “As an emerging sector, however, clean tech is still being defined. A strong need exists for education about the category’s business models, environmental benefits and key policy issues, and PR will play an important role in that process.”
Three of A&R Edelman’s clients—Cree, Xantrex and Novazone—develop technologies that address issues critical to the preservation of the environment. Durham, N.C.-based Cree develops and manufactures advanced lighting products that dramatically improve energy efficiency.
"Cree's highest priority marketing goal is to stimulate widespread adoption of highly energy efficient high-performance LEDs (light emitting diodes)," said Chris James, vice president of marketing at Cree. "In the short time we have been working with A&R Edelman, they have demonstrated strong capabilities assisting Cree with compelling messages for energy efficiency and in gaining exposure to significant industry and public policy influencers."
Xantrex—headquartered in Vancouver, B.C.—provides advanced power electronics for renewable, portable, mobile and programmable power applications that lessen dependence on traditional power sources. Novazone develops innovative, environmentally safe ozone-based solutions to replace unhealthy and environmentally harmful chemicals to improve the freshness and safety of food and water. A&R Edelman is providing strategic counsel, messaging and positioning and media relations to all three companies to raise awareness of their brands, increase visibility of their products and promote the myriad benefits of their technologies.
"Clean tech, commonly associated with alternative energy sources, can also be effectively applied to lessen the impact of population growth on health and the environment by ensuring that the food and water we consume are safe and fresh," said Dave Cope, Novazone's chief marketing officer. "That is Novazone's focus for more than 200 customers around the world. A&R Edelman is helping us educate the market about the importance of the problems we're addressing."
A&R Edelman’s newest client in the category, the California Clean Tech Open, is a competition that will award the best business plans from each of five categories—energy efficiency, renewable energy, smart power, transportation, and water management—sufficient cash, office space and pro bono professional services to create sustainable businesses. A&R Edelman planned and executed the competition’s launch event in March at San Francisco City Hall, and will promote all aspects of the competition through the finals event in September.
“We’ve entered an era when profitability and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive,” said Angus. “Cree, Xantrex, Novazone and the California Clean Tech Open clearly demonstrate that companies can build high-growth businesses around technologies that deliver significant benefits to the environment.”
About the California Clean Tech Open
The mission of the California Clean Tech Open is to encourage the development
of clean technology companies that foster a healthy natural environment
and provide benefits in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency,
pollution reduction and resource protection and conservation. The
best plan submitted in five categories—Energy Efficiency, Renewable
Energy, Smart Power, Transportation, and Water Management—will be
awarded cash and service prizes sufficient to create a sustainable business.
The competition was initiated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Club of Northern California (MITCNC) with charter partners Acterra, Wilson
Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Horn Murdock Cole, A&R Edelman and
Plug & Play Real Estate. Additional sponsors and partners include Advanced
Technology Ventures, Agora Foundation, AMD, Chevron Ventures, the City
of San Francisco and Mayor Gavin Newsom, Clean Edge, the Clean Tech Venture
Network, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Electric Power Research Institute, Foundation
Capital, J.P. Morgan’s Bay Area Equity Fund, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lexus, New Enterprise
Associates, Palo Alto Research Center, Pacific Gas and Electric Company,
Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, San Diego
Gas and Electric, SRI International, Technology Ventures Corporation and
Venrock Associates.
Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth, a California 501(c)3 non-profit public benefit corporation (Tax ID 23-7064937) is the administrative and fiscal sponsor of the 2006 California Clean Tech Open legally responsible for the activities of the competition. Acterra is located at 3921 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303-4303. Additional details about the program are available at www.CaCleanTech.com.
About Cree
Cree is a market-leading innovator and manufacturer of semiconductors that
enhance the value of solid-state lighting, power and communications products
by significantly increasing their energy performance and efficiency. The
key to Cree's market advantage is its world-class materials expertise in
silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) for chips and packaged
devices that can handle more power in a smaller space while producing less
heat than other available technologies, materials and products.
Cree drives its increased performance technology into multiple applications including exciting alternatives in brighter and more tunable light for general illumination, backlighting for more vivid displays, optimized power management for high-current, switch-mode power supplies and variable speed motors, and more effective wireless infrastructure for data and voice communications. Cree customers range from innovative lighting fixtures makers to defense-related federal agencies."
About Xantrex
Xantrex Technology Inc. (www.xantrex.com)
is a world leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of advanced
power electronic products and systems for the renewable, portable, mobile,
and programmable power markets. The company’s products convert and
control raw electrical power from any central, distributed, or backup power
source into high-quality power required by electronic and electrical equipment.
Headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., the company has facilities in Arlington,
Wash.; Livermore, Calif.; Elkhart, Ind.; Barcelona, Spain; and Reading, England.
Xantrex is publicly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker
symbol "XTX."
About Novazone
Novazone is the leading provider of innovative ozone-based solutions to improve
the freshness and safety of food and water. Since 1996 the company couples
applied food science with patented ozone technologies to provide an environmentally
friendly means of reducing spoilage and airborne pathogens without the
use of harmful chemicals, making food and water fresh and safe naturally.
With year-round global sourcing, transportation and distribution of these
products, comes an increase in the risk of both accidental and intentional
contamination from microorganisms, pests and chemicals. The company incorporates
an array of patented technologies into complete, automated systems with
unsurpassed reliability and cost-effective operations.
About A&R Edelman
A&R Edelman is a team of communications professionals and creative
thinkers working with clients to raise visibility, build momentum and increase
their market advantage. The agency's clients are among the industry's most
innovative and closely watched companies, from groundbreaking start-ups to
industry leaders such as Adobe and Palm, Inc. In recent years A&R Edelman has been named an “Agency of the Year” by PRWeek, The
Holmes Report and by Adweek's Technology Marketing magazine.
A&R Edelman also consistently ranks in the top 10 of the Holmes Report’s "Best
Agencies to Work For" survey.
With staff in California’s Silicon Valley; New York; Denver; Portland,
Ore.; Louisville, Ky,; Washington, D.C., Los Angeles; and Research Triangle
Park, N.C., A&R Edelman offers complete public relations and investor
relations programs, representing technology companies from groundbreaking
start-ups to global leaders.