The Holmes Report
July 24, 2003

“After an ill-fated two-year dalliance with GCI Group, Sam Singer is back doing what he loves best, running his own business, and the early indications are that he is well on his way to repeating the entrepreneurial success he enjoyed with former partner Larry Kamer. When Singer Associates opened its doors in 2001, it brought four clients with it from GCI and Kamer Singer: The San Francisco 49ers, Ford, BNP Paribas, and Marriott. In 2001, its first year of operation, it added another handful, including Chevron, Mirant Energy, Norcal Waste Systems, Phelps Vineyards and Consolidated Freightways. Last year, it rounded out its roster with additions such as Lennar Communities; Mills Corporation; AIMCO; the Bay Area Rapid Transit District; Taco Bell; the law firms of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffea and Keker Van Nest; the San Francisco YMCA; Colonies Crossroads (a commercial development in L.A.); Daughters of Charity Health Care System (a seven hospital chain); Boudin Bakeries; The Olympic Club; the Parking Association of San Francisco; MV Transportation; and, jointly with Ketchum, the State of California’s “Buy California” account, promoting agriculture in the state. Revenues were up 30 percent to around $3 million. Singer, a political campaign veteran, is probably best known for his work in the public affairs, labor relations, and crisis management arenas, and his firm has strong practices in those three areas, with litigation communications a particular growth area. But Singer Associates has already developed a niche in the real estate market, and also has some straightforward consumer clients. Projects ranged from working with the 49ers after running back Garrison Hearst made anti-gay remarks to managing a $1 billion dollar bond issue election to seismically upgrade the Bay Area Rapid Transit District to handling the evacuation of residents near a property being investigated for abandoned military munitions. Singer & Associates is “amazingly strong in working with the media and general public,” raves one client. “Sam Singer has proven an invaluable business partner on whom we rely for insight and expertise in making decisions both within and outside his specific area of expertise,” says another. “His instincts in the area of public relations are unerring.” The account team is “always thinking about how we can improve our communications,” and “we seek their counsel on a range of issues.”