Berkeley-based Forty Forty Expands to the Pacific Northwest, Opens Portland Office

Fast-growing untraditional branding/advertising agency says new office will support client Keen Footwear, permit pursuit of new business opportunities in the Portland, Oregon region.

Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) February 6, 2006 -- Untraditional branding agency Forty Forty announced today the opening of a branch office in Portland, Oregon – the first step in expanding its branding services into the Pacific Northwest market. John Trotter, the agency’s co-founder and creative partner, said the new office will allow the agency to better serve client Keen Footwear, which is moving operations from Alameda, California, to Portland.

Keen is the fast-growing maker of waterproof performance shoes for the true adventurer and urban outdoorsman. “Keen has emerged as a leader in its particular outdoor shoe niche,” said Trotter. “We want to continue working closely with Keen as it becomes one of the top outdoor shoe makers in the country.”

“We’re as excited about supporting Keen in its new location as we are by the many opportunities in the Pacific Northwest,” Trotter added. “Led by Nike, Portland is an important center for the $10 billion-plus U.S. athletic shoe industry. It boasts more than 20 footwear companies. Plus the region serves as the headquarters for many other outdoor sports companies.”

Trotter and other members of the Forty Forty management team have worked with many top sports and outdoors brands, including The Washington Redskins, The Philadelphia Phillies, Keen Footwear, Specialized Bicycles, REI, Patagonia, adidas, the U.S. Open, the U.S. Olympic Committee, FedExField, Citizen’s Bank Park, and PLAYERS INC.

For Trotter, the move is a kind of homecoming: Nike was his first career stop after earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Art Center College of Design in southern California.

About Forty Forty

Growing a brand requires a consistently renewed vision. Forty Forty is a creative agency that helps clients find a fresh perspective and communicate their most essential qualities. Using client insights as the basis for its strategies, Forty Forty unlocks differentiation and identifies the most appropriate solutions to brand challenges, from the conventional to the unheard of. Forty Forty’s clients include everything from startups to mature brands, all of whom benefit from an untraditional process and an integrated mix of strategy, creative and innovative communications tools.

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