VENTANA PUBLIC RELATIONS VICE PRESIDENT JOE AUSTIN RECEIVES DESIGNATION AS ONE OF NATION’S TOP TECH COMMUNICATORS

Ventana Public Relations, a strategic marketing communications services provider, announced today that Joe Austin, vice president of client services, has been recognized as a “Top Tech Communicator” by PRSourceCode. The 2nd Annual Top Tech Communicators survey honored the top five large, mid-sized, and small public relations agencies; the top 15 corporate public relations departments; and PR practitioners such as Austin deserving accolades for individual achievement. The editorial community – represented by more than 300 participating IT journalists – rated each winner based on best overall performance and recognized those who added the most value to their editorial processes in terms of responsiveness, reliability, and overall understanding of editorial needs. The full findings of PRSourceCode’s Top Tech Communicators are available at http://www.prsourcecode.com/TopTechCommunicator2007.asp

“When an individual is named for honorable mention in the survey, it really is an honor,” said Steve Smith, general manager of PRSourceCode. “There are so many fine individuals working in public relations in the technology space, that it is nothing short of extraordinary to be identified by name in recognition for the work one does for his or her clients – especially by the journalistic community, which has a reputation for setting high standards for public relations professionals.”

The Top Tech Communicators survey respondents spanned the IT editorial community – from horizontal IT books such as Computerworld and eWEEK, to vertical IT books, such as the healthcare community’s Healthcare IT News and Healthcare Informatics, to IT reporters at consumer-oriented news outlets such as USA Today and U.S. News and World Report.

Austin has spent more than a decade handling strategic planning, media tours, press conferences, and media/analyst relations for companies in the data storage, security and networking arenas. His deep media relationships span broadcast and print, including editors and reporters for business, IT, reseller, and vertical publications. Austin has secured numerous print/radio and television media placements in marquee outlets such as CNN, BusinessWeek, USA Today, Bloomberg, and the Associated Press for clients ranging from startups to billion-dollar enterprises.

"Having worked with Joe for a number of years, I can vouch for his dependability, responsiveness and professionalism," said Brian Fonseca, senior writer, Computerworld. "It's a pleasure to work with a public relations professional who is always accessible and knows the name of the game. At times he's played a big part in helping to enable interesting, informative and timely content for our readers."

“Joe understands the intricacies of creating a win-win situation for clients as well as journalists, and goes the extra mile for both,” said Sabrina Sanchez, CEO of Ventana Public Relations. “The fact that his work stands out among thousands of PR professionals in the minds of editors demonstrates Joe’s keen understanding of their needs and ability to translate our clients’ achievements into compelling, relevant stories for the media. Joe exemplifies what Ventana Public Relations is all about, and we take pride in being able to attract top PR talent to our team as we continue to expand our client portfolio with a focus on delivering high-impact results.”

Ventana Public Relations is a full-service public relations firm, specializing in high technology and positioning clients as leaders in their respective industries. Positioned to support clients both domestically as well as those who require a global presence, Ventana's proven methodologies, customized programs, many years of industry experience, and deep domain expertise deliver strategic results that are quantified, using clearly defined metrics, to ensure the best return on investment. The firm is comprised of an acknowledged team of public relations experts and has extensive experience supporting a range of technologies including enterprise software, networking, security, storage, supply chain, and wireless/mobile computing.

About PRSourceCode
PRSourceCode is a Content Service Public Relations provider (CSP) serving the Information Technology (IT) journalism, conference, industry accolade, and public relations communities. Founded by public relations practitioners for public relations practitioners, PRSourceCode focuses on rethinking traditional public relations, public relations processes, and delivering innovative services that re-invent public relations, best public relations practices, and better serve the editorial community. For more information, visit www.PRSourceCode.com.

About Ventana Public Relations
Ventana Public Relations provides strategic marketing communications services to a customer base comprising technology companies that range from startups to market leaders. Ventana’s results-driven methodology is built around insightful analysis of individual client needs and development of personalized communications programs that are always aligned with clients’ business objectives. The Ventana team combines a unique blend of talents and more than 100 years of experience to ensure that the company’s time-proven techniques are effectively executed to provide customers with the best return on their PR investment. For more information, visit www.ventanapr.com or call (925) 875-1968.