March 8, 2001

SGI, formerly known as Silicon Graphics, picked Text 100 PR to handle its "seven-figure" account in a competition that came down to Fleishman-Hillard and FitzGerald Communications.

Richard Marshall, SGI's director of worldwide PR, said about 50 firms were considered for its account. He used Jerry Swerling, Marina del Rey, Calif., in that review process.

Text 100 PR begins work for SGI in early April. Its initial focus will be product publicity and vertical marketing communications, but could eventually include IR duties.

Marshall, a former director of communications at Suburu of America, said spending at Text 100 will grow as he "aggregates" spending of PR work that was handled on a project basis.

While noting that SGI did not have an agency of record, Marshall said Weber PR Worldwide was used for many projects. Aedhmar Hynes, president & regional director of the U.K.-based Text 100 Corp., will handle the SGI account. She is in San Francisco. Mountain View-based SGI markets workstations and services, and bills itself as a leader in "visualization solutions."

Manufacturers, telecommunications companies, media firms, government agencies and scientific research facilities are its prime markets.

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